Gravity
by Webdog177
Summary: Shimako matured into a woman who could turn you into a puddle you with but a single glance. The fact that she and I always danced around each other as teenagers was just another complication, but now the two of us were drawn to each other like gravity. [Spiritual sequel to Selfish Friendship]
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. _#Sadface_

A/N: And here's another one. I should really slow down but… I don't wanna.

A few of you probably have already read Selfish Friendship (one of my first dips into MariMite fandom), and for a one-shot it turned out pretty good. After the fact, I received a number to requests to continue it, but I never really could figure out how to do a continuation. That's mostly my problem, because I am pretty bad at sequels, continuations, or even drawn-out plots. It's why most of my fics are short. Lulz.

So then I was struck with this a while back, and in another conversation with a reader about Shimako's… proclivities… I figured out how to make it work.

Please note: This is a _semi-sequel_ to Selfish Friendship, in that you don't have to read that to understand what is going on in this story, but if you had, you may find one or two nods to that in this story. It follows a 'what if' scenario that Shimako and Yumi never really acted on their attraction to each other, but were _aware_ of it. So, they felt something for each other during school, but just never really had the opportunity to do anything about it.

Until now.

I am also writing this in a similar style to my previous fic, 'The Odd Couple', in that I am forgoing honorifics and using more 'Americanized' phrases. I feel that it flows with my writing a little better and makes for a more interesting reading.

Oh - as per my usual MO, there will be mature content in a later chapter.

Enjoy.

0 – 0 – 0

 **Gravity**

 **Part 1**

0 – 0 – 0

"Yumi?"

A quick snap of the fingers in front of my face was all it took to pull my attention away from wherever it was – who can really tell what you are thinking about when you zone out? – and I blinked, turning towards the voice that called out to me.

"Huh?"

My co-worker leaned towards me, her hands on her hips and her eyes focused so hard on my face, I was sure I would catch fire. "I just asked you if you were alright, Yumi."

"Oh. Oh! Uh… yea." I mumbled, averting my eyes as I normally did when people stared at me. I never really knew why, but I always got a little uncomfortable when I saw stared at. "Just… thinking."

"That's never a good thing." She said, her lips quirking up slightly. "I don't really know how you can think in here, anyway."

I shrugged, spreading my attention around the café. It wasn't necessarily busy at the moment – the night shift never was – but there was still a fair amount of college-age students and younger adults milling around, enjoying a late evening coffee or snack. It was never too late for caffeine, it seemed.

"Just a talent, Megumi." I said slowly and shrugged, moving to slide a tray filled with empty mugs into my arms. "Always been pretty good at zoning out."

She snorted at that, and opened her mouth to reply when a voice called out from a booth, "Excuse me, Miss? Can I get another cup?"

I sighed softly and made to set my tray down when Megumi touched my arm lightly. "Go ahead and take your break Yumi. I got this."

"You sure?" I asked, but secretly wilted in relief. I had been working since the afternoon shift and I was tired. I was done for the night in another two hours, but a short break wouldn't hurt.

"Ayup." She grinned brightly at my, winking. "Go pee or whatever it is you do when you're on your break. Chillax."

I returned the girl's smile and nodded my head in thanks, brushing my hands together and walking past the doors to the back of the café. I passed the cooking area and pushed the door open to the employee bathroom, locking it behind me. The loud ' _click'_ of the lock sounded and I felt my spine stiffen at the sound, but I ignored it and approached the sink.

The dull, florescent lights flickered on by the time I placed my hands on the tiled sink, and I raised my eyes to inspect myself in the mirror. I looked tired, and a little ragged, but other than that, I looked like I normally did when I saw myself in the mirror. Brown eyes, brown hair, a slightly roundish face that only seemed to become less childish as I entered my twenties. Now at a solid twenty-five, I looked more like an adult than I ever would have guessed.

But I still had that little issue with my facial expressions. Everyone could always tell what I was feeling; which made keeping things to myself a challenge.

I tilted my head to the side and ran my fingers through my loose hair. I had long ago abandoned the pig-tails I wore all the time in High School. I don't really know why. At some point I just felt like I needed a change, and changing the hairstyle I wore ever since childhood seemed like the way to go. Everyone had been pretty surprised, but after the initial shock wore off, they told me I looked more mature, and fitting to my position as the future Rosa Chinensis.

But that was years ago.

Long story short… I graduated, went to university, graduated again, went to graduate school, graduated _again_ , and suddenly lost my focus. Just like that. I didn't know what I wanted to do anymore. Both my undergrad and graduate degrees were in architectural design and engineering… but I just lost my interest in the field shortly after finishing my Masters. Ever since then I have been kind of drifting, working part time jobs, occasionally taking various classes to see if something clicked, and living on my own in Tokyo.

It wasn't a glamorous life, and at time it was frustrating. But it was _mine_.

I still talked to my friends from school on occasion. Well, most of them, anyway. Sachiko and Touko messaged me pretty often, and even saw me in person almost every two weeks. But with Touko busy with the hospital and most of Sachiko's time taken up by her being… well… Sachiko… there simply wasn't enough time to see one another. Yoshino and Rei kept up with me up until I graduated, but I hadn't really talked to them much since then. Only the occasional email or text message let me know that they still were alive.

As for the others…

Well, suffice it to say I didn't have many other friends I still talked to. We simply fell out of touch after high school.

Shit happens, as they say. Everything changes once you grow up; your goals change, your friends change, _you_ change. Barely anything stays the same and it's all you can do to hold onto what you cherish most and keep it close. Because if you doubt yourself, and you never really care to take what you want and aren't even the tiniest bit selfish for something you care about, then you can – and _will_ – lose it.

Holding back a grimace at myself in the mirror, I splashed water on my face, ran a towel across my cheeks and forehead – careful not to smudge my makeup – and unceremoniously exited the bathroom. I ran my fingers through my hair a final time before I entered the main floor, and then with a heavy sigh, pushed myself through the door. Megumi glanced up from her notepad as she was writing an order and her dark eyebrow raised in question. I simply shrugged and, plastering a grin on my face as usual, my break ended just like that.

The minutes flew by as I took orders, made coffee and charmed our clientele. Being outwardly friendly was important in the service industry and I was good at it, even if I wasn't feeling particularly charitable that evening. But after working at this café for a full year now, it was pretty much ingrained into me to slap on a fake smile when I wasn't feeling one-hundred percent.

That little skill was particular useful when I was having my period. Though, the regulars and my co-workers were familiar with my little 'expression issue' to see past it and steer clear of my resting bitch face.

"Evening!" I chirped as I approached a recently occupied table. The pair of girls – high school age at first glance – looked up at me with unreadable smiles. "What can I get you girls?"

"Coffee, please." Girl number one said.

"Tea for me." Girl number two added, and I jotted their order down.

"You want black tea, green tea, Oolong tea, Jasmine…" I rattled off the teas we stocked and I almost laughed at girl two's widening eyes as I reached our fifteenth variety. "We also have tea bags and tea leaves."

"I… uh…" She stammered. "Just… iced tea, please." Her head ducked and her friend snorted a laugh.

I felt bad for the girl, and winked down at the pair. "Don't worry – I'll take care of it. I made a killer passionfruit iced tea. Be back in a sec."

Winding behind to counter I set to work on their coffee and iced tea. The coffee was easy, as we had a machine for that sort of thing. But ever since my days at Lillian, tea was something you had to do by hand; especially the mixed teas.

"Megumi, where's the muddler?" I called out to the girl, who was currently shuffling things around on her tray to take back to her booth.

"Uh…" She closed her eyes in concentration. "Second cabinet to the left from the one that has the thingy. The box thing with filters." Then, nodding, she made her way to her booth, her arms full of food and drink.

"Thingy. Right." I muttered with a shake of my head. I found the muddler, of course. Megumi was weird, but she had a good memory for small things. I returned to my work and, dumping all my ingredients in a Boston Shaker – also wondering if I could possibly find my calling as a bartender –, I plunged the small instrument of metal and plastic into the shaker, mixing all the ingredients together. I finished with a mixture of fruit juice and black tea, and dropped a maraschino cherry into the large glass I poured the entire thing into.

I returned to the pair of girls a few moments later with a cup of coffee and my tea and fruit concoction, and placed them on their table. "One coffee and Tea of Doom for you girls. Enjoy."

"Thanks!" They said together, and I lingered around for another moment as my tea was sipped at tentatively. A second later girl two's eyes lit up and she smiled widely at me.

"Wow! This is excellent!" She beamed.

Shrugging, I smiled back and dipped my head "Thanks a bunch. I appreciate it. If you need anything else, let me know." And I continued on with my night.

That was usually how all my evenings went. Aside from the odd request or cute girls that came for a drink or small meal, there was little else to keep me occupied as I drifted through my mid-twenties. Nothing really changed, and nothing else really happened that stood out to me.

I knew, eventually, I would have to shake myself out of this funk, or someone else would do it for me. Touko, for one, would never let me live it down if she got her medical degree before I finally settled down with a goal. Sachiko offered, more than once, to set me up with a position in her family's company… but I couldn't do that. This was my life, and I had to make my own way. Find my own relationships and interests.

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner." I mumbled to myself, nonsensically.

The bell at the front door jingled as another customer walked in, and I slapped back on my 'friendly' face, calling out for the single woman to find a place anywhere, and I'll be right with her. I made a pass behind the counter to snatch up my notepad and find a pen – just in case the woman ordered more than a couple items – and take a short breather moving things around, only to put them back where they were again, and then finally made my way to the new customer currently sitting by herself at one of our smaller booths.

"What can I get you?" I asked, my typical smile firmly in pace. It was almost closing, and the closer it got, the harder it was to keep the face in place.

"I'm not sure." She replied softly, flicking a small, two-sided paper menu around to read down our list. "I've never been here before and I don't really know what you have."

I shrugged. "Your typical café stuff." Only after I said it did I realize how unhelpful it sounded. "We have coffee, tea, juice, sodas, snacks, baked goods and smaller food items, as long as intensive preparation isn't involved." I leaned down, lowering my voice to a whisper. "And if you ask real nicely, we have some stronger stuff in the back if you want to slip a little something in your coffee." The woman seemed about my age, and well-put together with her cream-colored sweater and tan knee-length dress, but you never know who might be a secret alcoholic…

She chuckled, her voice softly floating around me. "I'll pass on the harder stuff. Alcohol and I do not mix very well." She trailed her index finger down the menu for a few more moments, and I began to shift on my feet anxiously. "What kind of tea do you have?"

Rolling my eyes, I rattled off my usual list of our extensive teas and prepared myself for the usual stammer I received, when the woman actually surprised me by answering, "I think Jasmine sounds lovely. With milk and honey, if you have it."

I blinked slowly, my brain working to find a response that I had ingrained into me from years back, but had never had the opportunity to use since then. "O-of course." I cleared my throat softly. "Would you like any biscuits or cookies to go along with that?"

"That would be lovely." She replied, her voice as soft and measured, not giving away anything the more vocal customers usually did. I dipped my head instinctively and back away to my refuge behind the counter and went about preparing the tea. As my hands worked, I couldn't help but think back to my days in the Rose Mansion, helping to prepare tea like this for my friends in the Yamayurikai. As I got older the task was usually dedicated to the younger girls; Touko and Noriko… and then Nana and Aya once Touko offered her Rosary. But I still remembered those days. And as I added a dose of milk to a small cup beside the teacup, I couldn't help but think this reminded me of those days, and I trembled slightly with nostalgia.

I gathered a few cookies from the package and placed then attractively on a plate, balancing everything on a tray. I returned back to the booth, smiling politely to the pair of girls I served earlier as they waved at me as they were leaving, and I carefully placed the teacup, milk and cookies down on the table, making sure I didn't forget anything, and finally met the woman's eyes for the first time.

A pair of silvery-blue eyes stared back at me, wide, clear and doll-like. Her face was clear, creamy-white, and set into a look of bewilderment. Her hair, wavy and light-brown, almost chestnut-colored, fell in waves over her shoulders and down to the middle of her back.

As I stared at her face, my eyes taking in every inch of her near-porcelain appearance, I felt my mouth dry up, every bit of moisture leaving it as I realized I knew her. I fucking _knew_ her.

"Yumi…?" She asked, carefully.

I stood there, my fingers tightly grasping the tray in my hands as though it would clatter to the ground at any minute. I blinked rapidly, my brain trying its hardest to reboot and come up with something – anything – intelligent to say. But if there was one thing I was sure of, I definitely knew who those silvery eyes belonged to. "Shimako?"

We were quiet for a long time, simply starting at one another, taking each other in. Our faces, matured by time and the baby fat that was once there gone. Our bodies and limbs, longer and leaner, more defined and sure of themselves. And our eyes, sharper, filled with experience and wisdom that only life than give.

She was different, that was certain. She _looked_ different… but somehow, still the same.

Eventually, I heard footsteps come up behind me and I jumped as Megumi tapped me on the shoulder. "Is everything okay here ladies?" She asked politely, though I could pick up some concern in her tone. "Yumi?"

I blinked again, my eyes darting from my old friend to my co-worker, and I forced a smile – one im sure Megumi… and Shimako, now that I thought about it, knew was fake – to the others. "Y-yea! We are fine. This is… an old friend of mine, that's all." My gaze flitted past my 'friend's', and I ignored the unreadable look that came out of those silver eyes. Instead, I hefted the tray in my arms and grinned. "If you need anything else, let me know." And with that, I walked back behind the counter as quickly as I could without making it obvious.

I felt her eyes on me as I cleaned. Well, pretended to clean, anyway. With my suddenly pounding heart and shaky hands there was no way I would get any proper cleaning done and, seeing as she was only of the only customers left, aside from a couple pairs of night-owls that friggin' loved their coffee, it wouldn't really matter if I pretended to do work instead of actually do work. But even as I tried to pretend to be useful, I knew she was watching me.

I mean, what are the chances? Here I was, years later, waffling around trying to find out what I want out of life, and here comes the girl that always knew what she wanted, ever since she was little. Here comes the girl that was, quite possibly, one of my closest friends in school. Here comes the girl, who perhaps meant the most to me out of everyone – right up there with Touko and Sachiko.

Finally, after trying and failing to wipe a chip in the countertop that never really want away, I growled in frustration and set my shoulders, walking out from behind the counter and up to Shimako's booth. She blinked languidly as I approached, an easy smile appearing on her lips.

"I never really took you for a night person." I said, not having anything really constructive to say. Not my best ice-breaker, but hey, cut me some slack; the woman caught me somewhat unawares.

"I'm not eighteen anymore, Yumi." She replied softly, her eyes tracing my face as if to memorize it. "There's a lot you probably don't know about me these days."

Shrugging, I frowned. "I guess. I mean, we never really talked much after Lillian…" I trailed off, then pursed my lips. "Well, at any rate, it sure was a surprise seeing you here."

"You as well." She said, the corners of her mouth climbing upwards. "I never expected you to be a waitress in a small café."

I smirked, feeling a little inexplicably playful. "Yea, well, I'm not eighteen anymore. There's a lot you don't know about me." Only after I said that did I realize how flirty I sounded, and I clenched my hands at my sides, my cheeks burning slightly.

To her credit, Shimako only grinned wider. "Yes, I suppose so." She picked up her teacup and took a sip. "Your hair is different." She finally observed.

I reached up and tugged at my bangs. "Yea… I got rid of the pig-tails a while ago. I like this better."

She nodded. "It suits you." She took another sip.

"Thanks." I said, then blurted out, "You're really attractive – you look great, I mean. Shit! I mean, you look good." I immediately felt my cheeks burn hotter and I wanted to curl into a ball.

Apparently, Shimako hadn't expected me to say that, and she choked on her tea, bringing up her hand to cover her mouth.

"S-sorry!" I stammered. "I'm… I'm just gonna go die now. Megumi will check you out – I mean… bring you your check. Damn it... sorry!" I snapped off a quick bow and awkwardly backed away from my old friend, all but running to the back room. As soon as I was out of eyeshot from everyone, including a surprised-looking Megumi, I ran my hands through my hair and moaned aloud.

 _What the fuck am I doing!?_ I raged to myself as I collapsed against the wall. I breathed deeply for a few minutes to calm my heart down and snatched my keys and purse from my locker, nearly slamming the back door as I left the building.

How embarrassing. The first time I see my friend, even one like Shimako, in years, and I have to screw it up by saying stupid shit like that.

"You're really attractive. You look great." I whispered mockingly to myself as I walked down the street in the direction of my apartment.

True or not, there wasn't a lot of better ways to properly shove my foot in my mouth in front of a girl like Shimako Toudo.

0 – 0 – 0

 **End of Part 1**

A/N: And yet another fic to add to my Yumi-centered harem. Muahahah~

Again, as this is a semi-sequel, this one doesn't follow the exact events of Selfish Friendship, as you can probably tell. In Selfish Friendship, Yumi and Shimako got together and starting dating (one can assume), but in this AU, they never actually got together. But, clearly, there was _something_ there between them. And here they are, years later, as if pulled together with gravity.

Lol. Get it?

Please comment/favorite/follow~

 _***Will work for glomps***_


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. _#Sadface_

A/N: A quite couple notes.

First of all, this will NOT go how you all are thinking. Those of you who are familiar with my work may have an inkling as to what I have planned… and even you may be surprised. *grins evilly* It'll be fun, though.

Also, I am well aware of Japan's policy about tipping, but I am choosing to ignore that. Just gonna nip that in the bud. As you have probably noticed, the culture of this story, like Odd Couple, is very American.

Enjoy.

0 – 0 – 0

 **Gravity**

 **Part 2**

0 – 0 – 0

I didn't sleep very well that morning.

I never really slept well, actually. Since I usually worked the afternoon or night shift, I was usually the one to close up at the end of the day – usually around midnight or so. So by the time I got home it was closer to one in the morning, and it seemed almost silly to go straight to sleep. So I often watched late-night television, read a book or played video games for a while until finally falling asleep by three or four. Then I would sleep the morning away and wake up sometime around noon, and get ready for my shift again.

I know. Glamourous, right? This is the thing people read about.

I finally dragged myself awake and out of bed by one in the afternoon, and stumbled to the bathroom sleepily. I had never been very vain, or obsessed with my appearance; all my life I had been pleased with how I looked, if a little on the small side, but I never had a reason to really but a lot of worry into my physical appearance. But I actually winced in actual distress with how I looked in the mirror.

There were _bags_ under my eyes. And my skin was pale and sallow, like I hadn't actually slept at all. I may as not have, with thoughts of my embarrassing and surprising encounter the night before. All morning I tossed and turned, memories of myself as an awkward, gangly teenager crawling around in my head, and Shimako right there, watching me in that serene expression that was so uniquely hers.

I idly wondered if, wherever Shimako was, if she also suffered the same maladies I did. If her sleep was plagued with thoughts of her teen years, being young and silly, filled with weird thoughts and ideas. Or me. Probably not. She just didn't seem the time to be bother by such things. She had always been a pretty mellow person, and the weirdest thing I had every really noticed of her was going to a café at almost midnight.

But damn… she looked _good_ last night. Which was probably why I had blurted out… what I said. Much to my dismay. Even now, in my bathroom waiting for the water to warm up for my shower, I blushed.

I am such a spaz.

I was afraid, with my mood and how I was when I woke up, that I would be late to my shift. But I ended up arriving at the café right on time, much to Megumi's shock. I knew she was shocked because she said so.

"Whoa, girl. I am shocked." She let out a low whistle as I made my way to clock in. "You look like the bad side of… well… something bad."

I leveled a blank stare at the woman. "Thanks. That makes me feel awesome."

She shrugged, grinning. "Well, it's true. What's up with you today? You get your monthly visitor? I clocked out for you last night, by the way."

"I wish… at least then I would have an excuse. And thanks." I sighed and shambled to my locker, stuffing my purse and jacket inside. "I just didn't sleep well last night."

"Clearly." She said, though her tone was unbelieving. Then she leaned up against the wall and crossed her arms over her bust. "So…" She drawled. "Who was that woman last night?"

I groaned, shutting my locker door a little louder than necessary. "An old friend." I said simply.

"Right. That's what you said last night." Megumi smirked at me in a way that reminded me eerily of Touko when she knew she would get her way. "But what I _meant_ was what's her name, where you know her from… you know, like, an actual answer."

"And that matters why?" I said tiredly, turning to regard myself in a nearby mirror. I ran my fingers through my hair in a useless attempt to undo a knot.

"Because you ran the first opportunity you could, is why." She said, raising a speculative eyebrow at me. "I mean, you were talking, which was fine. Then the next minute you bolted. You were blushing. She was blushing—"

"She was blushing?" I said before I could stop myself. I could help it, I was suddenly interested in the conversation. But I still felt the whiplash from my sudden change in mood.

Megumi grinned widely. "Yup. It was kind of adorable. She finished her tea, polished off the cookies, and left you a ten dollar tip." Her grin turned sly. "She must have really liked what you said to her."

I glared at her. Her grin only widened. I upped the ante by giving her the finger.

She laughed at that. "What? I'm just saying I'm kind of envious. She's pretty… and those eyes." She shivered dramatically. "Nice. I approve, Yumi."

"Whaveter." I said gruffly, looking away from her so she wouldn't see my face heat up. "I haven't seen her in seven years. And the last time we _did_ see each other…" I trailed off, unsure of what to really say.

Megumi's laughed died, and her voice softened slightly. "You two have a history?" She asked.

"You could say that." I allowed. When she gave me a look, I sighed. "Just… we kind of had… a thing. When we were teenagers."

"A thing." She repeated flatly.

"Right. A _thing_."

She blinked. "Oh. Oh! A thing." A nod. "Okay. Go on."

Suddenly feeling a little exposed, I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall. "Yea. So… that's it. Just a thing. Nothing ever came from that, and we just kind of… fell out of contact since then. I haven't even talked to her in years."

Megumi's lips twisted in a frown, and she stepped towards me, raising her arm to put her hand on my shoulder. "Right. Gotcha. One of _those_ things." At my nod, she continued. "Well, I can't really say I understand where you are coming from since I dig the penis and all… but I can definitely understand _things_ that happen and kinda fall apart afterwards." I chuckled softly and her smile returned. "I'm sorry to hear that happened. If it makes you uncomfortable, we can schedule you for a different shift…"

I shook my head. "No. No. Thanks anyway, but I'm a big girl. I can handle a little leftover teen angst and awkwardness."

Megumi nodded, though still a little unsure. "Alright. If you say so. What if she comes again, though?"

"Then I'll woman up and be friendly. I mean, we were practically best friends. That shouldn't be hard to do again."

Rolling her eyes, Megumi stepped around me and put on her apron. "Sure, sure. If there is one thing you are good at, it's being friendly." She shot me her usual grin as she breezed through door to the main room. "Well, that and making a great cup of tea."

By the time I had stuck my tongue out at her, she was gone.

0 – 0 – 0

The afternoon dragged on into the night, and Shimako had not turned up again. By the time my shift came to an end at almost midnight, I was surprised to find that I was more than a little disappointed. I had been caught off guard by my friend when she came the previous night, but once I had gotten over the shock of seeing her again, I had almost hoped she would come again.

But, as I clocked out in the backroom and pulled on my dark denim jacket, I decided that my wish to see Shimako again was optimistic at best. I mean, she probably only came in the café for a late night snack – something to occupy her mind of take her attention away from whatever it was that she did these days. It was a bit much for me to hope she would come to my café _again_ , at damn near midnight, two nights in a row.

I mean, right?

Opening the back door and waving goodbye to Megumi as she finished up her tasks, I kicked my sneakers to the curb and began my walk back to my apartment, thoughts already thinking of what I would make to eat once I got home, or what movie I would watch before sleep.

As I joined the main street outside the front of the café, my eyes were drawn to a car parked a few meters away. It was a dark grey coupe, some kind of Nissan if I wasn't mistaken. A nice enough car, if only a couple years old by the look of it. But the car itself wasn't what drew my attention; it was the figure leaning up against the side of it.

I slowed my steps, my heart suddenly thumping in my chest. My eyes widened as I took her in, drinking in her appearance. Her hair was loose, as always, her brown tresses wavy and soft. My fingers itched in the vague, almost shadow-like memory of winding my fingers through them. Her dark, waist-length coat, was unbuttoned, and her white blouse shone brightly in the streetlights around us. And, surprisingly, her jeans were a darker shade than my own, and comfortable looking. I had never really known Shimako to wear jeans when she was younger, but I had to admit she wore them really well.

She looked _good_. Damn it, she looked good the previous night, too. Was this going to be a common occurrence?

I stopped a few feet from her, my hands clenching at my purse for lack of anything better to do, and I nodded awkwardly. "H-hey."

Shimako tilted her head to the side, and chuckled. "Hey yourself." She glanced down at her wrist, tilting it so she could check her watch. "You got off pretty late."

"I… yea." I said slowly. "I usually get off about midnight." Then, blinking, I suddenly had a frightening thought. "Have… have you been waiting for me all evening?"

"Oh no." She said, shaking her head. "I only arrived about twenty minutes ago. I assumed you would get off pretty close to last night." She then regarded me with an unreadable expression. "Why did you leave so quickly last night?"

I felt my lip twitch, and I shuffled my feet. "No reason."

She watched me for a few more moments, and then nodded. "I see. I was afraid my sudden appearance had made you uncomfortable."

I grimaced, a sudden feeling of shame crawling into my chest. I wrapped my arms around my body to ward off any more embarrassment. "I… sorry." I said softly. "I mean, can you blame me?"

"I suppose I can't." Shimako said. "Under the same circumstances, I would possibly react in the same way as you did."

Snorting, I nodded. "You can say that again." Then, sighing, I let my arms fall back down to my sides. "So, what are you doing here? Like I said, you don't seem the time to normally hang out on the side of the street around midnight?"

"You'd be surprised." The woman said, her lips quirking up into a mysterious smile. I blinked slowly, and she laughed. The sound, clear and bell-like, sent shivers down my spine and I shuddered minutely. "I was waiting for you to get off work, honestly."

"Why?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Shimako blinked, as if she was unused to having her actions questioned. But after a moment, her serene expression picked right back up from where it left off and she smiled at me. "Because I wanted to see you again."

"Oh." I said softly. My eyes fell to the ground, and I kicked the sidewalk with my scuffed sneakers. "That's… good?"

"Yes. I think so." I suddenly saw her walk towards me – her shin-height boots clicking softly on the cement – and I looked up in time to catch her pale skin as she stopped, only inches away from me. "What would you like to do, Yumi?"

I swallowed, my eyes instinctually flicking down to her lips. They looked full, soft, and shined slightly of lip balm. All at once, memories came back of a moment, a brief moment, of reckless passion and whispered words. Of heady smells and tastes. I remembered, now, at this moment, just how those lips had tasted back then. And at that moment, there was nothing I wanted more than to sample them again. If for no other reason than to see if they still held the same sweetness as I still recalled, sometimes vaguely in my dreams, and now, acutely, as she stood so close I could smell her.

As I opened my mouth to whisper what I desired, what I _needed_ , a loud rumble sounded from my belly, and just like that, the moment was gone.

Mother _fucking_ stomach!

Blushing furiously, I stepped away, trying my best to ignore the polite, but still painfully obvious giggles erupting from Shimako.

"I think you would like to get some food. Isn't that right, Yumi?" She finally said after her laughs subsided.

Still blushing, I nodded stiffly. "Yea." My voice sounded hoarse, and I cleared my throat. "There's a pretty good place open twenty-four hours down the way a bit. A few minutes if we walk." I eyed her car. Or, at least, I assumed it was her car. "You want to drive, or hoof it?"

Smiling, she pulled out her keys from her coat pocket and clicked it, the car behind her chirping as the doors locked.

"A walk sounds lovely, Yumi. Lead the way."

0 – 0 – 0

 **End of Part 2**

A/N: A little shorter than my usual fair, but it turned out well enough.

The next chapter should be out again soon, if I keep to my chapter-a-day schedule. Stay tuned, gang!

Please Comment/Favorite/Follow! :D

 _***Will work for glomps***_


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. _#Sadface_

A/N: Another chapter in one day! Wow! I never get any REAL work done, do I? I should really start adulting again. XD

Enjoy.

0 – 0 – 0

 **Gravity**

 **Part 3**

0 – 0 – 0

The walk from my café to the restaurant was probably the longest walk I had ever taken. In actuality, we were probably only walking for ten minutes. At most. But with Shimako at my side, her arm occasionally swinging alongside mine, brushing my coat-sleeve with hers in the barest of moves, it seemed like I was walking for days.

Weeks even.

And I had nothing to talk about. I was hungry, yes. But other than that, I could think of nothing good to say. Nothing piqued my interest. It was maddening, and the fact that Shimako followed me obediently without complaint didn't really help to assuage my awkwardness.

We eventually arrived at the place I had in mind, one of those small, open-all-night deals, and I nodded stiffly as Shimako stepped ahead of me to open the front door.

The restaurant was nearly empty – big surprise there – and after looking around for a moment, Shimako pointed to a table on the far side of the room.

"A booth?"

"Sure." I said simply.

At my acceptance she walked towards the seat in question and filed in, setting her purse next to her atop the table. She then looked back up, blinking her large eyes at me. After a moment I followed, sitting across from her.

Shimako pulled a couple of menus from the far end of the table and handed me one. I mumbled my thanks and, instead of finding something to settle my stomach, I sat and watched the woman across from me, her eyes travelling down the laminated paged slowly. After a few moments, her hand traveled up and she brushed a strand of chestnut hair from her face. I fidgeted in my seat, not sure if what I was doing could be called staring or not.

"See anything you like?" She asked me, not taking her eyes off the page in front of her.

Feeling as though I already shamed myself enough for one night and I couldn't do much worse, I leaned back and dusted off one of my cheekier smiles. "I think some eggs and bacon sound pretty good."

At that she looked up, an amused look flitting across her face. "I see." She said, and tilted her head to the side after sliding her menu back to the far end of the table.

"And… yourself?" I asked softly. I had the distinct feeling that she and I were having two different conversations, disguised as one. And everything we said could be taken in different ways, depending on the connotation. I had never been very good with being coy, or with clever conversations, and I clenched my hands together under the table as the corners of Shimako's lips pulled up into a delighted grin.

"A milkshake." She finally said, and there was so much emotion, so much _meaning_ behind the word that I knew for certain she didn't mean just a frozen drink with ice cream and milk.

"What… um… what flavor?" I asked, feeling the tell-tale signs of a blush creep across my cheeks. At that moment, with her pink lips all I could focus on as she smiled at me, I would have given anything – anything – to know what she was thinking at that moment.

"Chocolate." She finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. I nodded slowly, using a herculean amount of effort to drag my gaze from her mouth and back down to the table. Holy _shit_ … what was this woman doing to me? Where the fuck was our server? They couldn't really leave us to our own devices, could they? I would only last a few more minutes until I combusted into a pile of warm goo. And Shimako…

Who knew what she was thinking?

Clearing my throat, I brought my hands out from under table and placed them in front of me, lacing my fingers together. "So… what have you been up to since Lillian?" I asked. Good, an easy conversation to have.

If anything, Shimako seemed almost disappointed in my not to subtle attempt to shift the topic. But she didn't comment on it, instead leaning back in her seat and peered around the restaurant.

"Oh… this and that." She said softly, her eyes shifting around to watch the pair of men around our age as they stood up to leave. "I never ended up going to University."

I blinked, trying to remember what exactly Shimako had been interested in back in the old days. As I could recall, she was considering taking over her father's temple. Had that changed? I could imagine so, if she had never gone back to school. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, when she beat me to it.

"I didn't end up taking over my father's temple, either, if that's what you are thinking."

My mouth fell open at that, sheer surprise winning over politeness at that piece of news. Back when we were kids, she was so sure she would take over the temple. I had actually been impressed, if I was perfectly honest, in her drive and forethought to her future. But now, hearing that she neither went to school nor took over the temple, I was at a loss for words.

"I know, it's a shock." Shimako said, shrugging her shoulders. "It just wasn't for me."

"I… what, um, what are you doing, then?" I managed to choke out.

A cheeky smile, almost a smirk, made itself known on her lips, and I couldn't help but think I had never, _ever_ , seen her face make that kind of expression before. It did things to me, somewhere deep down inside, and I squirmed slightly in my seat.

"Oh… about the same thing you are doing, I'd wager." She finally said, solemnly.

I highly doubted that. But I didn't comment, instead turning my attention to the older woman that approached our table, a heavy frown set on her features. I inwardly winced in sympathy, knowing what it felt like to get customers at this time of night, even at a twenty-four hour dive like this.

"What'll it be, ladies?" She asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

"I…" My eyes darted towards Shimako, who simply smiled her placid little smile and shrugged. Pursing my lips with a tired sigh, I pushed my menu away on the table. "I'll have scrambled eggs and bacon, and my friend will have a chocolate milkshake."

The woman jotted down our order and walked away without another word and I leaned back in my seat again, feeling the wear from the day catch up with me. I peered at Shimako, who continued to stare at me. I matched her gaze until I felt the familiar discomfort with being stared at loom over me, and then averted my eyes.

"What about you?" She finally said to me, leaning forward in her seat to rest her elbows on the table. "What have _you_ been doing the past seven years?"

Oh, are we doing this now? I felt annoyance at her deflection creep into my mood and I glared at her. "Oh, this and that." I said snidely. "About the same thing you are doing." I immediately regretted my tone, as something in Shimako's face darkened. I held up my hands in apology. "Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night and I was tired all day."

The woman stared at me intently for another few moments, and then nodded, her face softening. "Why didn't you sleep well, Yumi?"

"I think you know why." I said softly, looking towards the window beside our table. It was dark outside, and all I could make out was some dull pinpoints of light from streetlamps, and our muddled reflection in the glass.

Shimako was silent for a long time after that. She simply sat there, idly working her fingers and flicking through the items on the table. A container of sugar packets, small leaflets advertising similar eateries, and an unused package of utensils left on the table from a previous customer. Eventually, I couldn't stand the silence anymore, and I exhaled softly.

"After finishing Lillian I immediately went to Lillian Academy. Graduated, then tried for post-graduate. After I got my Masters… I…" I shrugged listlessly. "I don't know. I just… fell into a funk. I suddenly didn't want to be an architect, or an engineer, or anything anymore. I got a part-time job and an apartment in the city, and have been doing this—" I gestured around me. "since then." I took a deep breath, and let it go in a scoff. "Maria-sama's blessing, huh?"

Shimako blinked, simply taking in my words. After a second or two she nodded in understanding. "I can sympathize, Yumi. My father wanted me to take over the temple, and for a while I thought it was what I wanted to do. But eventually I decided it just wasn't for me. Since then, I have been doing… well, this." She matched my gesture with her own hand, flicking her fingers between the two of us. "Much the same as you."

My lips pulled into a frown, and was about to ask _why_ she suddenly changed her mind, what could have possibly made it so she wanted to change her whole future, one she had known about for years and years, all for what… this? This kind of life? I knew I wasn't really happy listlessly milling around, working nights until I found my calling. And I knew she couldn't really be happy either. I wanted to tell her so, and as why she did this to herself, when our pleasant little waitress shuffled her way back over to us, depositing my eggs, her milkshake and our check on the table without ceremony. She left without a word, which was just as well.

Shimako reached for her frozen brown drink with a gleam in her eye, and her expression changed, her lips twisting up into a pleased smile.

As she picked up her straw, I blurted, "You have a nice smile."

The woman blinked once, twice, and then laughed. She leaned back in her seat, her eyes crinkling in humor as her voice tickled into my ears, sending shivers down my spine. Fuck, that kind of laugh should be illegal. She was laughing so hard, her whole body vibrated, and I could almost _taste_ the pleasant feeling radiating off of her. She was happy to be paid the compliment.

Relieved at her reaction to my words, I leaned forward. "You're happy to see me."

Still giggling, Shimako nodded. "Yes, I'm happy to see you."

"You missed me." I said simply, a slow smile spreading across my lips.

At that, her laugher died down and she regarded me with her typical serine grin. After a few moments, she shrugged with one shoulder. "Perhaps I did miss you."

I narrowed my eyes towards her, my gaze uncharacteristically steady. "You waited for me outside my café tonight." At her lack of response, my smile stretched even wider. "You're a stalker."

Something in her eyes changed then, and for a moment I was worried I had gone too far, but the look as gone as soon as it had come, and Shimako raised an eyebrow curiously. "Why would I stalk you, Yumi, when I could just come up and talk to you?"

That was a good question. I pondered that for a moment, watching as she wrapped her lips around her straw and took a sip from her milkshake. My gaze lingered on her mouth, perhaps a bit too long for comfort, and I was suddenly struck with an idea.

"Well, because you're attracted to me, of course." I said smugly, crossing my arms across my chest. Let her chew on _that_.

But Shimako, true to her unflappable nature, simply chuckled, cradling her glass with her fingers. She dropped her eyes to her drink for a moment, before flicking them back up to peer at me from underneath her eyelashes.

"Yes." She finally said, leaning down to take another long, drawn out draw from her straw.

My mind halted, and I blinked, multiple times. Wait. _Wait_. What had she just said? "What?" I voiced, honestly confused as to what that meant. "What do you mean, 'yes'?"

Her eyes narrowed at me, and she sat back in her seat, sliding her milkshake from one hand to the other. "It means, yes, I am attracted to you." She said simply, softly. When I blinked again, she inhaled slowly, and then released it.

I think my grin widened to epic proportions, and I thumped my fingers on the table. "It's my amazing personality, isn't it?" I said, immensely amused. My heart thumped in my chest, and I thought furiously that finally – _finally_ – life was shaping up, that fate was giving me something I could actually work with. It was about damn time. "I'll bet you missed me ever since Lillian, didn't you?"

"Perhaps." Shimako said, her eyes boring into mine as I stared back at her. "Perhaps I remember you from school, wide-eyed and curious little Rosa Chinensis en Bouton, always the friendliest and approachable of us. Perhaps I remember you always smiling and making friends as though it was second nature to you. Perhaps I remember you, in all your capriciousness, flitting around to do one thing, and then the next, always helping in every way you could."

She leaned forward, suddenly matching my intense expression. "Or perhaps I remember the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton who would peer at me occasionally when she thought I wasn't looking. The Rosa Chinensis en Bouton who would spend a little – just a little – extra care with anything that involved me. The Rosa Chinensis en Bouton that would dance around with me, the both of us never quite reaching each other the way we both knew we wanted to. Every time I would get a little closer to you, you would spin away as if it were a waltz between you and I where we could not touch. And every time you reached out to me, I would inexplicably fall just out of reach. It was a dance the two of us shared, Yumi. It was a dance that never quite reached its end."

Sometime during Shimako's speech, I had gone completely still, my eyes wide in alarm that she recalled everything so vividly, and so similarly to my own memories. It was a lot to process, and I swallowed slowly, as if to buy a little more time to think. "I… um… wha—yea?" I managed.

My response had been apparently what she expected, from the pleased smile on Shimako's lips, and I sucked in a shaky breath. If this were chess, would this count as a 'check'?

"I did enjoy our dance as children, Yumi." Shimako continued, cocking her head to one side, regarding me. "In retrospect, I wish I had spent a little more time enjoying it instead of jumping the gun with you. But, as they say, 'you live, you learn'. And now it's much later, we're older and more mature, and it would seem our dance is still going."

I swallowed audibly, feeling like I was in the middle of a pair of crosshairs, and Shimako, dressed in an old Miko robe, was aiming a bow, her arrow knocked and ready to loose right into my chest.

"And now," She said softly, serenely. I shuddered as she pushed her empty milkshake glass away, the grating sound of glass of tile louder than I ever heard it before. "Now, I am waiting to finish our dance. Will you dance for me, Yumi?"

 _Holy fuck_. I think I died a little inside at those words. My stomach flipped and roiled in a decidedly pleasant way, and my legs clenched together as I tried to come up with something intelligent to say. After a few moments, I licked my lips, deciding that an "I see." was the safest course for me to take.

My answer seemed to please Shimako, who nodded slowly. Right at that moment, as she stared into my face with her silvery eyes, I knew that if I were to die, it would be a great death.

"You want me to… dance for you?" I said slowly, carefully, as if one wrong move or word would cause this fragile house of cards that was our relationship to come crashing down.

"Yes." She said.

My lips twitched in response to her no-nonsense answer. "Okay… but I won't make it easy for you, you know?"

The grin that flashed over her face at that moment was equal parts alluring, and a little frightening.

"I wouldn't expect it any other way, Yumi." She whispered softly. "The best things in life are never easy, after all."

0 – 0 – 0

 **End of Part 3**

A/N: Dance, Yumi, dance! Muahaha~

I managed to churn out two chapters in one day, so don't expect an update tomorrow. If I do, then it's to show love to you all! If I don't it means I hate you all. Lol nahhh jk~

Please comment/follow/favorite~!

 _***Will work for glomps***_

 _*Sob*_ No one has glomped me in days...


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. _#Sadface_

A/N: Hey everyone! A little longer, and taking a slightly dark turn as we start to get an inkling as to Shimako's intentions.

Enjoy.

0 – 0 – 0

 **Gravity**

 **Part 4**

0 – 0 – 0

Considering my appetite took a nosedive sometime between me taunting Shimako and she telling me to dance for her, I was pretty proud of myself for summoning the fortitude to finish my plate of bacon and eggs. It took me a while longer than it normally would have, but with the woman I have literally dreamed about on occasion since high school sitting across from me, watching as I awkwardly tried to stuff food in my mouth, I think I deserved a 'pass'.

After I finished and we paid the tab, we gathered out bags and exited the restaurant together. Once outside we stood awkwardly beside each other, as if we couldn't decide our next course of action. Well, _I_ couldn't… Shimako simply watched me as if waiting for me to make the next move.

"So… um," I said, shifting my bag on my shoulder. "Are you—do you want to do anything else?"

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" Shimako mused. I leveled a blank stare at the woman.

"Really?" I scoffed.

"You said you didn't sleep well last night." She explained calmly. "I can understand that. If you are tired…"

"I not tired!" I said indignantly, then crossed my arms over my chest. "And I have tomorrow off." I finished quickly. Shimako blinked at my tone, something appearing in her expression that made it seem as though she were deciding whether or not to believe me. Finally she shook her head.

"It's late. I should go."

"Oh." I wish I hadn't sounded so disappointed, but I just couldn't help it.

Before I even realized it, Shimako stepped up to me so suddenly that I gasped, putting my weight on my back foot. I blinked as she peered at me through her eyelashes, and my mouth instantly dried up.

"Don't misunderstand me, Yumi." She murmured, just loud enough for me to make out as a car drove past us on the road. "I want you well-rested for our dance. Surely you can't begrudge me to want you at your best for it?"

I tried to answer her, but was only able to manage a choked groan. Something about the way she said the word _dance_ led me to believe what she had in mind was anything but.

"I thought so." She replied, pleased. "Now, would you like a lift home?"

"My… my place is just down the block." I finally said, my voice hoarse. I raised a slightly shaky hand and pointed in its general direction. "That way. No need to drive me."

She blinked, and then smiled. "Then I shall walk with you." When I didn't move for another few moments, she held out her hand towards the street. "Lead the way."

"Huh? Oh! Yea… it's this way." I muttered and started off, Shimako at my side. The rest of the walk was silent, but as opposed to our walk from my café to the restaurant, which was uncomfortably long, this one seemed to end all too soon. Before long we reached my apartment building and I opened the door to allow my friend in. "I'm on the, ah, the third floor."

She silently followed me up the three flights of stairs and then to my front door. As I fished in my bag for my keys I had a short panic attack, wondering if I had left anything unseemly out in the open. Would she come inside to find that I had forgotten to put away all my dishes? Was all my laundry taken care of? Holy crap, hadn't I left a bra on my couch the other day? Wincing inwardly and realizing there was very little I could do about that, I pushed the door open and flicked on the lights.

Luckily, as I scanned the room for anything that stood out, it didn't seem all that bad. A couple dishes were in the sink, but none of my clothing or underwear was visible. Thank the Lord for small favors. But that didn't keep me from tensing as Shimako seemed to glide into the room, her head moving around to take in my state of living. She seemed to linger on a few things in particular; the couch in the middle of the room, the small table near the kitchen I used to eat on, the small wall-hanging rack by the door with pegs for hanging sweaters, keys and assorted things like that, and the door that led to my bedroom and bathroom. But after a few silent moments she finally turned back to me and regarded me placidly.

"You have a nice home, Yumi."

"Thanks." I said lamely, taking her words at face value. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for tea, or something?"

Shimako laughed. She took a step towards me and I stepped back in response. "I think, Yumi, that I shall take up your offer next time. This time, I should leave you to your rest."

"Because you want me at my best, right?" I repeated her own words from minutes before, my lips pinching together in frustration. What exactly had she meant by that? What did have planned?

"I do." Shimako said, taking another step. I stepped back again, and averted my eyes from her stare.

"When will I see you again?" I asked softly, not really caring if I sounded suddenly weak, or needy.

Another step forward. "When do you want to see me again?"

Another step back. "Tomorrow?"

"Very well. I shall see you tomorrow. Where shall I meet you?" She took another, larger, step towards me, and suddenly I found myself with my back pressed up against the wall of my apartment, Shimako only inches away from me.

I sucked in a slow, shaky breath, my eyes sliding back towards her. She stared at me unblinkingly, her large silvery-blue eyes taking in every inch of my face, my hair, and then, not even bothering to hide her gaze, my lips.

I swallowed. "Anywhere." My voice was breathy, barely above a whisper.

We stood there, close enough that we could reach out and touch each other with the barest of moves, for a long time. I inhaled slowly, her scent tickling my nose and sending a delightful shiver down my spine, settling down in my belly where it churned and festered into something dark, something secret, and something desperate. My fingers twitched, aching to reach out and touch her, but they couldn't move; whether it was fear or uncertainty that held them back, I didn't know. I concentrated on keeping my knees from buckling as she leaned forward another inch, so that I could feel her breath on my lips, and could almost taste the lingering hint of chocolate.

"Then I will meet you at your Café tomorrow." She whispered, and I shuddered as her breath ghosted across my lips. My tongue darted out in a desperate attempt to touch,, to taste, what was once inside her, and I exhaled heavily, as I realized just the position I found myself in.

"Shimako…" I breathed, and found myself leaning forward before I even realized what I was doing. My heart thumped painfully in my chest, and I braced myself to what I assumed would be a truly amazing experience. I tilted my chin up, holding my breath, and tried to close the distance between us. But, moments later, I realized that she was still barely out of reach. I furrowed my brow, not understanding, and looked down. Her index finger had pressed into my chest, and was holding me back with seemingly little effort.

"Until tomorrow." Shimako then said, her eyes boring into mine. She then leaned forward and brushed her lips across mine in the barest, the smallest semblance of a kiss. Her lips were so warm, and soft, it was all I could do to not melt into a puddle at her feet.

When she pulled away I still stood there, leaning against the wall, trembling slightly. She stepped back from me and I followed her with my eyes, refusing to even blink for if I let her out of my sight she may as well have not even existed. She crossed the room back to the front door, her eyes glittering with what I assumed was amusement, and then closed the door soundlessly behind her, leaving me alone in my apartment and horribly aroused.

When I was sure I was alone my legs finally gave way, and I slid down the wall and squeaked when my butt hit the carpet. "Jesus Christ!" I hissed, running my fingers through my hair and groaning aloud.

I was in trouble. I didn't know how I knew, but I could feel it deep down in my gut. I never knew Shimako to play a game like this with people, and that meant this was new, this was different. This was something I had never encountered before. And as frightening and unsettling as it was, it was also exciting.

It was a dance, as Shimako said. This was the same dance we had as teenagers… only now, we were older, more mature… with everything that implied.

She was playing with me, I realized, with this dance, and she wanted me to match her step for step. She wanted me to move in time with her, and to follow her lead.

Okay, I could do that. I could. Really. I mean sure, pretty much since when I first met her last night she had been at least step ahead of me at all times. And sure, she had eyes that could render my nearly speechless at her whim. And yes, I was certain that I was as attracted to her now as I was all those years ago. Only now, it was the attraction of a full-grown adult which, apparently, Shimako shared with me.

"Fuck." I moaned, and leaned my head back on the wall. I groaned when it 'thumped' on the wallpaper.

Yup. My goose was cooked. There was no two ways about it. I hadn't been in a situation like this before, and had no way of defending myself. I was helpless, barely able to keep up as Shimako ducked and weaved around me in a dance. _Her_ dance... and she expected me to join her! And not just join her, but match her step for step.

Okay. How could I work what I knew in my favor?

She was attracted to me, that much she had said outright. Whether that was before, when we were in school, up until now, and possibly all that time in between. I could work with that. I knew how to make myself attractive, and if I asked nicely enough, Megumi would be more than happy to help.

When next? What did I know about Shimako? She didn't go to school, she didn't take over her father's temple… and then what? Nothing. On the other hand, she knew a lot more about me. I went to school, graduated, and have been working part time at a café since then. I didn't even know where Shimako worked!

I didn't even know if she had ever dated anyone before. I mean, it was sort of obvious she had _some_ sort of experience, from her attitude and how she interacted with me. I went out with a couple of people myself in school, so I knew basically how people who dated – or were attracted to one another – acted. And Shimako certainly acted as like she was into me.

Again, I could work with that.

Grumbling to myself and my mind racing with thoughts of the next day, I stumbled into my bedroom and peeled off my clothes, crawling into my blankets and wrapping myself up so tightly I felt like a caterpillar. Regardless of what Shimako said and how she made me feel, she was right that I was tired and needed sleep.

0 – 0 – 0

I woke up at two in the afternoon the next day, having slept much better than the previous night. I was able to choke down a blueberry muffin and take a hot shower before rifling through my closet, tearing through nearly every piece of clothing I had in order to find the perfect outfit.

I had neglected my wardrobe for the past year or so, and in so doing may as well have doomed myself to dressing like a college student for my night with Shimako. I was about to give up when I came across a nice skirt, in dark greens and browns, and a black blouse that went with pretty much anything. The skirt itself went town to halfway between my thighs and knees, and I was relieved I had remembered to shave during my shower.

After I dressed and was certain I was as ready as I ever was, I sent an emergency text message to Megumi – who should have been working today – that I was heading to work and needed her help. I slipped on my nicer pairs of black flats and left my apartment.

There wasn't a lot of customers when I arrived at the café, and Megumi looked up from taking an order to look at me, her eyebrow raised. She nodded and pointed with her chin towards the back room, letting me know that she received my message and to wait for her in the back.

She was only seconds behind me, bursting through the door almost as soon as I closed it, and the seriousr look on her face was so unlike her I stepped back in surprise.

"When is she coming?" Megumi asked without preamble.

"I – what?" I asked, blinking rapidly.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "That woman – your friend. When is she coming today?"

Okay. She was good. But I wasn't going to let her know it. "What makes you think she's coming?"

Megumi stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Please. Don't patronize me. Why else would you message me, 'Emergency! Can you help me with makeup ASAP?'"

"Suppose I have a date with a cute guy tonight?"

The flat stare she sent me almost made me grin. "What. Time. Is. She. Coming." She finally bit out, her eyes narrowing to slits.

Sighing heavily, I shrugged. "I don't know. Sometime today."

"The fuck?" Megumi blinked, and then shook her head, muttering, "Leave it to you to leave things half done." Exhaling, she then collected herself. "Alright, fine. We can work with that. Fork over your makeup and I'll make you look so delicious she'll wanna eat you up."

Ten minutes later, I was made up and, even I had to admit, I looked good. Megumi could work wonders with the bare minimal of anything, and I was pleased with the end result. As I turned my head to regard myself in the mirror, she grinned.

"Rawr." She sniggered. "Damn girl. Even I wanna switch sides just to have a shot at you."

"Ugh. No thanks." I said, playing with my hair and inwardly lamenting I didn't do anything with it. "I've seen the guys you went out with. You're probably dirtier than my living room rug."

"Oi!" Megumi gasped, holding her hand to her chest in mock pain. "I resent that! I use protection _and_ request they take baths before _and_ after… with me."

"Yea? And what about bathing on your own time?"

She shrugged. "Eh. Sometimes I just can't be bothered." She laughed at the disgusted look I pulled, and I shook my head, grinning happily.

"Thanks for the help with this."

"No problem. Just hit me up if she has a brother or something."

I snorted at the idea of a male version of Shimako roaming the world, but then shuddered as that reminded me a little bit too much of Yuuki and myself. With a silent shake of my head, I followed Megumi out into the main room. She immediately went back to work, her break having ended a few minutes ago, and I set myself down in an empty booth to play the waiting game.

Time trickled by slowly as I waiting. In retrospect, I should have assumed Shimako would want to meet at night, or the later afternoon as best, but as I didn't know _exactly_ when she planned to meet me, it was better safe than sorry to start waiting early. Megumi brought be a cup of coffee – complimentary, of course – and I nursed it until it cooled, taking the occasional sip as I people watched. In the afternoons most of the customers that frequented the café were a good mix of the younger generation, college-age kids and adults, with the occasional older generation. As the afternoon bled into evening, however, the crowd always seemed to gravitate towards strictly college students trying to catch up on their reading as they relaxed with a coffee, or met with friends.

As a glanced at my phone to check the time – it was quarter after six by that time – I felt a shadow fall across my table. I peered up to see a young man, maybe a couple years younger than me, standing beside my table, a friendly smile on his handsome face.

"Hi. Is this seat taken?" He asked.

I eyed the young man for a moment before shaking my head. "No."

"Can I sit down?"

Shrugging, I put my phone away in my coat pocket. "Help yourself." I said simply. I wasn't on the clock, so I didn't feel too bad about being taciturn with him. I was getting a little impatient waiting for my friend, and being interrupted by a stranger wasn't really the best way to lift my spirits.

"I'm Yosuke." The man smiled. "What's your name?"

I blinked. "Yumi. I'm sorry, can I help you?"

Yosuke shrugged, his loose-necked jacket rustling with the movement. "I was just wondering what you were doing here by yourself."

I stared at him, feeling my eyebrow raise. "Sitting, clearly."

If anything, my snarky reply made his grin wider. "Yes, I see. They are comfortable seats." He shifted in his side of the booth, as if to prove his point. "Yes. Very squishy." Despite myself, I cracked a small smile, and he laughed. "Ah – there's a smile. Good. You had been frowning for so long I was worried it was your default setting."

"You were watching me, then?" I asked, curious as to the motivations of my new stalker.

Again, he shrugged. "Only for a couple minutes. I was sitting over there," He gestured to a far table. "And noticed you glaring at your phone. So I thought to myself I would come over and see if I can get you to smile a bit."

Rolling my eyes. "Well, thank you for your consideration." I said politely. "It's nice to know that some people care whether or not I smile."

"So…" He drawled out slowly. "This is the part where I come up with a pick-up line… but I've never been good with those. So I'll just be honest and say you're pretty." I blinked slowly. This was, perhaps, the oddest attempt to flirt I had ever encountered.

"Um… thanks?" I said simply, but really it was more of a question. "I think."

Yosuke laughed, his grin still wide and carefree. "Can I buy you a cup of coffee or something?"

I shook my head, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, but I'm meeting someone here."

"Oh…" He said, sounding slightly dejected. "Well, that's a shame. Are you sure?"

Shrugging, I actually felt a little bad for the guy. He seemed genuinely sweet, and if I wasn't waiting for Shimako, then I may have actually been tempted to take him up on his offer – but just that. I had a policy not to lead people on, and the fact that I preferred women to men usually was a deal-breaker.

"Yea. I'm sure. My friend should be here soon."

"When is he coming?" Yosuke asked politely.

"I'm not really sure… she was a little unclear on that." I admitted, not missing the look of relief that flitted across his face at the mention that my friend was a girl.

"Ah – well, then in that case, if you wouldn't mind…" He trailed off as someone walked up to the table and stopped. I followed Yosuke's gaze and my lips parted in shock as they took in a black, knee-length skirt, a deep purple long-sleeved blouse, and rich, wavy light brown hair that bounced slightly as the owner shifted her attention between myself and Yosuke.

"Ah – Shimako…" I said, but felt my mouth dry up instantly as I noticed her expression.

Her face was completely normal; serene and lovely in a way that was so uniquely hers. Her smile was pleasant, her the corners of her lips quirked up in a small grin. She had put on make-up, as I had, and seemed to glow with an almost unearthly appearance that I only wished I could ever emulate.

But her eyes…

Her usually bright, intelligent eyes were now the purest steel, dark and unchanging. And at that moment, they were fixed on me. I blinked up at her, my heart suddenly pounding in my chest as I swallowed, taking in the girl's severe gaze on her unsettlingly placid expression as she stared at me.

Yosuke shifted in his seat, clearly feeling the suddenly uncomfortable atmosphere that hovered around the table.

"Um…" He started to say, but was cut off when Shimako took a step towards me.

"Are you ready to go, Yumi?" Her voice was pleasant and calm as always, but her eyes remained dark, like flint ready to be sparked.

"Y-yea." I muttered, grabbing my purse and pushing myself to my feet. Feeling a little bad for Yosuke, who had been pleasantly polite to the point of being weird. I turned to say goodbye, when I felt Shimako's hand grab my chin, firmly but gently turning my face back towards her.

"Shima-" Whatever I was about to say was cut off when Shimako pressed her lips to mine in a firm kiss. I squeaked in shock and my back stiffened, but with her firm hold on my chin and her other arm winding around my waist to keep me in place, it wasn't like I could really escape even if I wanted to.

Which, I wasn't really ashamed to say I didn't want to.

After a few moments Shimako pulled away and I released a heavy breath, only barely noticing that it sounded more like air leaking from a balloon. I felt more than heard Shimako adjust her hold on me, but still kept a possessive arm around my waist.

"Thank you very much, for keeping my friend company." She said politely to Yosuke, who was staring at the two of us, wide-eyed. "I will take her now, and hope you have a lovely evening. Gokigenyou." And with that, she pulled me by the waist and led me out of the café.

"Um… Shimako?" I voiced once the door shut behind us. The woman didn't speak. She simply led me by the arm towards her car, currently parked a short ways down the block. Once we got close she unlocked the doors and released me.

"Shall we?" She asked, her tone not giving away anything I felt under the surface of her typical placid expression. I nodded slowly, and climbed into her car. I buckled my seatbelt and settled into the soft black leather of the seat as Shimako slid into the driver's seat and started the engine.

As she popped the clutch and merged onto the road, I cleared my throat. "Um… Shimako… you _do_ know what he just came up to me about a minute before… and I was trying to turn him down, right?"

"Of course, Yumi."

Oh. Well, that was good. "So… are you mad at me?"

"Not at all." The woman said simply. I saw her peer at my out of the corner of her eyes. "I know you were turning him away, and I thank you for that."

"Oh… okay." I said, settling into my seat. "So… why do I get the feeling you are mad?"

Shimako slowed the car to a stop and inhaled slowly through her nose. "Yumi, I am not mad at you. Let me make that perfectly clear." I nodded at that. "But I should also tell you that I am not a teenager anymore. There is probably a lot about me you are not aware of, but I will tell you that I do not like to share. Not with older sisters or anyone."

I opened my mouth to argue the fact that she wouldn't have to, but something in the woman's tone made me hold my tongue. Her usual calm expression was still there, but her eyes were sharp, and focused. It was a look I never remembered seeing on her before, even the past couple of nights, and I couldn't help but feel a bit wary of it.

"I… understand." I finally said.

Again she peered at me, and then her eyes softened and the dark look in them brightened slightly. "I am pleased to hear you say that."

Sighing in relief, I leaned back into my seat and watched the road as the streetlights began flickering on – usually by six-thirty in the evening. "So… where are we going?"

Shimako's smile, which was usually so serene and lovely, slowly turned into a grin of anticipation; expectant and eager. I felt my heart flutter at the look, and my stomach churned in my belly as I tried to think about what could possibly cause this face on my usually stoic friend.

"Somewhere that will make you understand just a little bit, Yumi. Just, try to keep an open mind, will you?"

Blinking, and wondering if at any time I didn't have something of an open mind, I settled back into my seat. At that moment, I truly did want to understand Shimako, and to match her in her dance she so wanted to have with me.

0 – 0 – 0

 **End of Part 4**

A/N: Jealous Shimako is scary. Hashtag it.

 _#jealousshimakoisscary_. Yumi just cant catch a break, can she?

Not my best work, but still not bad. See you all on the next chapter!

Please comment/follow/favorite~

 _***Will work for glomps***_


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. _#Sadface_

A/N: Woo! Now we get into the meat of this story!

I also got lots of glomps from some readers! Xie xie~~~~

Rated for slightly mature content. Nothing explicit (yet), but still nothing I'd read to my kid as a bedtime story.

Enjoy.

0 – 0 – 0

 **Gravity**

 **Part 5**

0 – 0 – 0

Tokyo was always a difficult city to navigate if you didn't know where you were going. It was an easy place to get lost in, for hours at times. I once got lost looking for the subway, until I was able to find a district map an hour or so later. Part of the reason was that as a city, it was large, and densely populated. So if you couldn't keep your bearings, you could easily get lost in the winding streets and countless side roads.

Which was why I was surprised and impressed with the ease that Shimako navigated her car through traffic, shifting as though the action was second nature. I had learned to drive a number of years ago, of course, on a manual transmission, but I never really cared for driving as much as Touko or Sachiko did. I much preferred to use public transportation. Or walk. That was the main reason I found a job close to my apartment, after all.

But still, it was hard for me to imagine Shimako driving a car. She had always seemed so flighty in her teen years, so quiet and calm, that it was just new to see her in this light. She was focused, her eyes flicking around the road to watch for hazards, her hands working the steering wheel with experience, and her ankle boot-clad feet working the pedals deftly.

As my eyes traveled across her body ending in her face, I felt my cheek heat up in a blush. Good _God_ the woman was gorgeous. Yea, I could admit that. At least not aloud. Not yet. Her long hair curled down at the tips, ticking her shoulders and the very top of her bust, and I once again fought the urge to reach out and bury my hands in it, so that I could just, for a moment, remember what it felt like to touch her soft tresses, what it smelled like… would she still smell the same as all those years ago? Or would her scent had changed, as people eventually change as they get older?

My eyes dropped down to the hollow of her throat, to the pale skin that peaked out of the top of her purple blouse. Purple wasn't a color I had seen on her before, but it definitely suited her. Black was better though, from how her skirt contrasted her skin tone and fell around her pale thighs as she shifted her footing.

I swallowed, averting my eyes. I felt a little bad about ogling the woman while she was driving, and made a mental note to continue to do so when she was less busy.

My hand clenched tightly on my seat as Shimako took a turn sharply, and it was then I noticed that, somewhere between the time I started staring at her and now, the traffic had lessened significantly and there were fewer streetlights. This was a slightly older district, and one less populated. I never recalled being here before, and silently wondered what Shimako had to show me.

"After I graduated Lillian," The woman finally said after the silence stretched on. I turned my attention back towards her, suddenly very curious in what she had to say about herself after school had ended. "My father and I had a long conversation about my future. We were at odds, him and I. He wanted me to continue my education, and I wanted to take over the temple. Eventually we reached an agreement. When he was younger, he went on a… pilgrimage, I suppose you could say. He traveled abroad, to many different Buddhist temples, and prayed at each of them. He told me that after he was finished, and had finished reflecting on the ideals and philosophy that Buddhism taught, he finally knew what he wanted out of life. He offered me the same opportunity that his father gave to him, and allowed me to travel abroad for the summer."

I blinked, trying to recall heard about this. I seemed to remember Rei, Yoshino and Sachiko talking about Shimako being unreachable for a while after Lillian, but at the time I hadn't thought anything of it. I had assumed she was on vacation with her father. In retrospect, it seemed as though I wasn't too far off.

"I see." I finally said. "So you went abroad. How long were you gone?"

"Only three months or so. There was a lot of travelling and I didn't stay in one place for too long. I would move to a new temple, starting in Japan and then moving to Korea or China or Vietnam… stay there for a time and think on the teachings of Buddhism, and then move onto the next one."

"Wow…" I sighed, suddenly jealous of the opportunity she had been given. "I would love to travel abroad like that."

Shimako snorted, though she managed to keep the noise delicate and lovely, as always. "It was tiring. I was exhausted all the time. I barely had time to properly rest, and absolutely no time for sightseeing. I never ever saw the Great Wall of China."

I nodded in sympathy, but kept silent.

"Anyway, after finally having my fill of that, I returned to Japan and told my father that I still didn't know what I wanted to do. I had travelled, I had meditated, and I had considered all my options… in great length." Her eyes flicked towards me. "I had ample time to think about going to University during my trip. And now that I was back, and still hadn't decided what I really wanted, I was frustrated, and angry; mainly with myself."

"So, what did you do?" I asked, immensely curious. That had been about seven years ago, and Shimako seemed to be doing pretty well for herself. She looked good, and she didn't seem all that unhappy or frustrated.

Shimako shrugged. "As I said, this and that; about the same thing you are doing. I started working part time for a few places. A restaurant, an office…" She blinked and turned her head slightly towards me, a small smile on her face. "I worked in a café for a short time."

I grinned at that, pleased to hear that my friend shared, at least a little, a similar experience with me since Lillian. "It's not all that bad once you get used to it."

Turning back to the road, Shimako continued, "I also took a few classes, simply to try and spark some sort of interest. Nothing took, and I found myself wondering when was the last time I knew for certain what I wanted." Suddenly, Shimako turned the car again and pulled up on the side of the road, and cut the engine.

"We've arrived." She said simply.

As she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door I looked around, trying to find anything that seemed familiar in the area. The street itself was small, only two lanes, and while there were streetlight dotting the sidewalks, there weren't a lot of people milling around. Even if Shimako had taken me here, and I felt as though she would never do anything to put me in harm's way, I couldn't help the feeling of nervousness that welled up in me whenever I felt out of my depth.

My door opened suddenly, and Shimako looked above me, her smile still serene and pleasant. She held out her hand for me and I took it, appreciating the help with pushing myself out of the car. As she locked her car and stepped onto the sidewalk beside me, she nodded in the direction of a building across the road.

"This way." She said and started off, myself trailing at her side. We crossed the street, which was easy enough with barely any cars on the road, and stopped just outside of a closed door on the bottom floor of the building. It was one of those typical multi-business developments, where every floor was leased out to a different owner. One floor could be a restaurant, whereas the next could be an arcade or shop of some kind. And as I looked around for some kind of directory – and not finding one – I settled for the novelty of simply being surprised.

I was about to reach for the door to open it for my friend, when she reached out to lightly touch my forearm, stopping me. I looked at her, curious.

"Do you know what the last thing I knew I wanted was?"

I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden continuation of Shimako's previous topic. But as I dropped my arm, I slowly shook my head.

"No."

A few moments passed in silence as she regarded me with her typical expression, but even I knew her well enough to catch subtle ticks in her face. She was nervous; she wanted me to see what she had to offer, but was afraid of what I was say, what I would do. She wanted me to dance with her, as we had as children. She wanted lead me, and hoped I would follow.

Well, I _had_ said I wouldn't make it easy for her, but…

"Shimako… I—"

She held up a hand, silencing me with a neutral expression. "The last time I knew, for a fact, that I wanted something was when I had wanted you."

I swallowed heavily, watching Shimako's ever-calm face, her eyes silvery and searching mine. I bit my lip and, after a moment, felt the urge to avert my gaze. It took some effort, but I fought the urge and kept my gaze. She smiled after a moment, obviously noticing how I matched her stare, and reached her hand up to brush her fingers against my cheek.

"Will you dance for me, Yumi?"

My tongue darted out to lick my bottom lip. "Yes." I breathed.

At my admission, her smile stretched across her face, and her finger trailed down my face, across my lips and jawline down to neck, where she flicked her nail gently. Her grin was wide, pleased that I had chosen to dance for her.

But her eyes darkened, sending a familiar sensation down my back to my belly, where it squirmed and writhed. I stared into her eyes for a long moment, suddenly feeling as though that this… _this…_ this was the real Shimako. The Shimako that we never saw in school. The real Shimako who had grown up into a mature, independent adult. The real Shimako who somehow, inexplicably, wanted me.

And I was determined not to disappoint her.

Shimako opened to door, and nodded at me to enter.

Inside it was warm, and dark. It smelled of the sweet, yet bitter mixture of coffee. The walls were a dark brown wood that matched the floors, and my first impression was that if the lighting was better, it would actually pass for a different version of the Rose Mansion from our Lillian days. There were couches and stuffed chairs, all colored darkly in blacks, blues, purples and greens. There were a handful of people about, lounging around the room comfortably. A pair of women, chattering softly, sat beside each other. A man and a woman sat draped across each other, quietly enjoying each other's company. A single woman sat by herself, her legs and arms crossed impatiently.

As I looked around, I decided that it must be one of those coffee houses that allowed its patrons to relax and chat while drinking coffee. I figured Shimako must enjoy the quiet and intimacy of this sort of place, and was about to turn to ask her where she wanted to sit when another woman walked into the room from behind a black curtain, and any sound I would have made was stolen from me as my breath was sucked out of my lungs.

 _Leather_ would have been the first thing that came to mind. She wore tight leather pants, knee-length leather boots, and what looked to be an incredibly detailed, black-and-red corset, complete with laces and ribbon. Her hair, long and black, shined slightly in the dim as she approached us, bobbing slightly from side to side as she walked. Her make-up, which was easily as well-applied as mine of Shimako's, accented her bright blue eyes and full lips. Her bright red lipstick made her pleased smile all the more obvious.

"Shimako, good evening." She said as she stopped in front of us. Her voice was soft, cultured, and clear. "I was happy when you told me you were coming tonight." She turned to look at me, and my shoulders instinctively curled in protectively. "Is this your friend?"

I wanted to step away from the woman, but Shimako's arm snaked out to wrap around my waist, keeping me well in place.

"Yes. This is Yumi." Shimako said. She turned towards me and smiled. "Yumi, this is Setsuna. She is an acquaintance of mine."

"N-nice to meet you." I managed, dipping my head in a slight bow.

That seemed to amuse Setsuna, who chuckled. "You were right about her, Shimako. She is polite." When Shimako didn't respond, the other turned her smile back to me. "Feel free to sit anywhere, you two. The show is about to begin."

As the woman strutted away toward the curtains again, I was directed after her by my friend. My eyes darted around, suddenly taking in the other patrons and room in a new light, and as the doorway grew closer I swallowed through the suddenly hot sensation in my chest.

"Shimako." I stammered softly, and she sent me a reassuring smile.

"Relax, Yumi. I won't let anything happen to you."

Setsuna opened the curtains as we neared, and I reflexively clamped my hands around Shimako's arm for support as we passed the threshold. The wooden floor changed to carpet as we walked down a hallway and passed doors on either side. In all actuality the hallways wasn't all that long, but as Shimako led me past door after door, my anticipation and nervousness built and I could only hold onto her to keep myself standing.

"Shimako… is this place… what I think it is?" I whispered softly, nervously.

"And what kind of place do you think this _is_ , Yumi?" She replied back, equally as soft. I couldn't even give it words, only having a passing knowledge about this sort of business. I had heard of it, yes, from acquaintances and a couple friends… but I most certainly had never gone to one. Suddenly, as I peered up at Shimako beside me, I began to see my friend in a slightly new light.

I only barely heard Setsuna chuckle behind us.

Our walk continued until Shimako pulled me to a stop in front of a door. Setsuna stepped ahead of us and smiled tightly. "There are a couple others watching, just letting you know."

Shimako nodded. "That is fine. Thank you Setsuna."

The woman's smile seemed to be directed solely at me. "Enjoy the show."

As I was pulled by the waist into the darkened room by Shimako, I heard the door slowly close behind us and I couldn't help but wonder, and fear, that this dance… this dance that Shimako wanted from me… if it would be too much for me to handle.

"Don't be shy." Shimako murmured beside me as we entered the room proper. She led me towards a couch that was placed along the edge of the room, and I found myself inking down into the soft plush even before I realized I did. Shimako sat beside me, careful not to touch me, but the closeness and possessiveness of her position was not lost on me.

I blinked across the room and saw a couple curled up on the couch opposite of ours. A man and a woman spoke softly to one another, apparently oblivious to our arrival. I looked towards another couch, and the two woman there were staring at me with intent expressions. I was able to match their stares before I finally broke away from them, looking down at my lap.

I was out oy my element – if I ever had one – and everyone knew it. It showed in my expression, my body language, and my constantly shifting eyes. It was as if Shimako knew I was determined to match her dance, and did everything in her power to keep me off balance. If that was indeed her plan, she was doing a damn fine job.

"So…" I said softly, getting Shimako's attention. "What's all this about?" I waved my hands, gesturing to the middle of the room. There was a large bed adorning the center, with a solid-looking wooden table beside it, and a rack on the other side, an assortment of not-so-subtle looking implements laid out across it.

I already knew what this was about. I just needed to hear someone say it out loud.

Shimako ignored my question. "As I was saying, the last time I really knew what I wanted was when I wanted you." She shifted into a more comfortable position, so that she both faced me, as well as the center of the room. "When we were both at Lillian together, I told you that I felt something for you, and then decided to act on it."

I nodded slow, vividly recalling that moment when she was watching me beneath hooded eyes, her lips parted slightly as she whispered my name, as her fingers wound themselves in my hair, gently tugging at my ribbons until they came undone and my hair fell down across my shoulders.

I sunk lower into my seat, already knowing where this was heading.

"I still remember how you looked back then." Shimako continued, her tone softening, possibly from nostalgia. "As I said, you had been young then – wide eyed and eager to please. So was I, but then again, I only knew for certain what I wanted _after_ the fact. It was only after I saw you together with Sachiko that I knew what it was like to be jealous."

I opened my mouth to argue that I had _never_ been together with Sachiko in that way, that the two of us were sisters, and only ever sisters, but my words were interrupted when Shimako raised her hand.

"I am well aware that you and Sachiko were never like that." She said clearly. "Well, I know that now. At the time, I had no reason to expect otherwise. Your attitude towards her was always inconsistent. One day you would be indifferent, almost nonexistent to her. The next everyone was expecting you to prostrate yourself before her and declare your undying love for the girl. From my perspective, it was both maddening and frustrating."

I knew what she was talking about, of course. After my little episode with Shimako telling me that she was attracted to me, my emotions were a mess. I loved Sachiko, but at the time I didn't really know how much, or in what way. I simply didn't know what to do at the time, and I had ended up losing Shimako simply due to my indecisiveness. At least, that was what I told myself in the years since then.

My musing was interrupted when Setsuna sauntered over to us from the entryway and held out a tray. Shimako nodded her thanks, taking the two cups from it and handing one to me. I reached out to take it, and immediately sipped at the drink without even inspecting it. To my surprise, and delight, it was green tea with honey. My favorite.

"Thank you." I said softly.

Setsuna's gaze travelled over me and her expression shifted to something I couldn't quite pick up on. "I hope you enjoy your evening." She smiled cryptically and then excused herself.

After a long moment, during which I sipped at my tea, Shimako leaned back towards me. "Regardless of the circumstance, the end result was that you and I never really managed to communicate our thoughts and feelings, and it seemed as though our dance, the one that I had felt the two of us had together since that first day Sachiko fell on you, was over."

Suddenly, the lights in the room dimmed to a soft glow, and music could be heard; soft, subtle and stirring. It hovered around me and permeated my body, causing my body to tense with anticipation. As my eyes swiveled around to watch the other patrons cease their conversations and turn their attention to the center of the room, I felt Shimako lean closer, her lips just a bare inch from my ear. Her breath ghosted out and ticked my hair, and I shivered.

"After realizing that the last time I knew I wanted something was you, I knew I had made a grave mistake in not pursuing you. Ever since then, I had been missing our dance. I missed how you smelled, how you tasted, how you sounded when I would touch you…"

She closed the distance between her lips and me, placing a gently kiss just below my ear. I shuddered violently at the sensation. _Fuck!_ That was totally cheating!

"But I had no way of knowing what you wanted. I wanted you, yes, but it had been at least a year by that time, and by that time, our dance was likely over. You were at school, and dating another."

I winced slightly, hurt that Shimako had found out about that. At the time it seemed like a good idea to accept when my first real girlfriend had asked me out. I hadn't heard from Shimako ever since Lillian, and assumed she had given up on me. So, in an effort to move on, I dated someone else. And then another, and another.

Until now.

"And now…" Shimako whispered softly, as if reading my thoughts. "Now I have you, and our dance can finally be concluded." I sucked in a breath, refusing to break my gaze away from the bed in the middle of the room. "Now, you will dance for me, Yumi. But first, you must learn how I dance now."

As she said those words and withdrew from my ear, my lips parted in an attempt to whisper, even with how faint I may sound, how she danced now, and what would I have to learn in order to dance with her, when the sudden sound of the door opening pulled my attention. A woman emerged from the door, and walked into the center of the room, and as I took in her appearance, the certainty of what Shimako wanted from me made itself known.

Her eyes were the brightest green I had ever seen on a person. Her hair, brown, was pulled back from her face but still brushed her jaw in a shaggy, slightly messy style. She wore a tight black dress with long sleeves, the material clinging to her body in ways I sometimes dreamed I would be able to fill out. As she approached the bed and sat on it, her legs crossed and I couldn't help my eyes from traveling down to where her dress ended just beneath her knees, a trail of the material flowing down behind her calf as her bare feet tucked up under her thighs in a demure sitting position.

Her eyes scanned the room, running over the faces watching her one by one until they landed on Shimako. A smile curled around the corner of her mouth when she locked eyes with her, and then she looked at me. I watched as her expression shifted to one of brief confusion before her face resumed its normal, serene expression. She settled herself on the bed and waited.

"Do you know this woman?" I asked quietly, not breaking my gaze with the girl on the bed.

"Her name is Yoko." Shimako murmured back, equally as quiet.

The green-eyed Yoko sat stoically as the door opened again and Setsuna walked into the room, making directly for the bed. She stood in front of the Yoko, regarding her for a few moments, before pacing over to the rack beside the bed and trailed her fingers over the implements, as if deciding what would be the best to use.

Her fingers flicked over a leather cord; a whip, if my eyes were mistaken, but passed it by for another, smaller pair of smaller pieces of leather. She plucked them from the rack and walked back to Yoko.

"Your hands." She requested. No. _Demanded_.

Yoko silently offered her hands, and Setsuna deftly wound the leather cords around her wrists, binding her. The woman then stepped closer to Yoko, lifting her hands to trail her fingers down her face slowly. Her nails slid down her cheek, her jaw, her neck and collarbone, and then brushed the very top of her breasts through her dress. Yoko flinched at the contact, inhaling sharply and turning her head away.

Setsuna's eyes narrowed at the moment, the _slight_ , and her lips curled up into a sneer as if to say ' _Oh… you shouldn't have done that_ '.

"Why did you turn away?" She asked aloud, her voice soft, but laced with intent.

"Because I am unsure I want this." Yoko replied, bravely, though the shaken expression in her eyes told another story.

"How can you be unsure unless you try?" The other woman murmured, reaching out again towards Yoko's face, stroking her long fingers down her cheek. Yoko leaned into the touch, her eyes fluttering shut as to enjoy the gentle caress for what it was.

"I'm not sure I want to try." She said softly, breathily.

I licked my lips and looked at the other couples in the room. All of their eyes were locked onto the two women in the center of the room. All of them, except for Shimako. Her eyes were watching me. I narrowed my eyes at her in question, and the smile that crawled across her face was pleased – expectant. Her eyes held the same dark expression I saw on her earlier when she found me talking with Yosuke at the café, and I knew for a fact that she was enjoying watching me squirm. I turned back to the bed.

Setsuna stroked Yoko's face for a moment longer, her eyes travelling up and down her body. Then she stepped away and pulled at the cord binding her arms, pulling Yoko to her feet. The woman obliged, unfolding her legs and standing.

Setsuna met Yoko's gaze for a split second before she turned, walking back towards the rack beside the bed. Every eye followed her as she reached out and ran her fingers along the tools there, and she hummed slightly, as if deciding what would be the best to use.

The dynamic between the two women was fascinating. On some level I knew it was an act, a show for the customers. But as I watched Yoko's face blend seamlessly between adoration, fear, anticipation and acceptance as Setsuna sent teasing glances her way, taking her damn sweet time at the rack, I knew that these women eagerly enjoyed what they did. I sensed the defiance Yoko put out, how she didn't want to give in even though she knew – she fucking _knew_ – she would enjoy it. And I could practically taste the confidence, the sheer assurance in herself that Sestuna had. I knew she lived to crush that defiance, and Yoko would enjoy every moment of it.

The air was tense around the room as she finally made her choice, her fingers wrapping around the braided handle of a short, brown leather implement. Unless I missed my guess, and I wasn't a deft hand at this, but I thought it was called a 'flogger'.

"Come here, Yoko." Setsuna said softly. Something in her voice told me – told everyone – that is was not a request.

Yoko hesitated from her side of the bed, her entire expression unsure, guarded. He body was tense with anticipation, and it coiled tightly with fear, trepidation, and rebelliousness.

I was captivated, completely focused on the two women. Beside me, Shimako remained as poised and elegant as she always was, but I could still somehow _feel_ her attention on me, instead of the center of the room.

"Don't make me repeat myself, Yoko." Setsuna said, her voice still soft, but taking on a noticeable commanding tone. She flicked the implement in her hand towards the rack, causing the leather cords to snap, the sound reverberation around the room loudly.

Yoko winced violently. So did I.

Slowly, Yoko took a step towards Setsuna, and then another, and another. Setsuna smiled, pleased at the other woman's actions, and watched Yoko meekly make her way to her side of the bed, until the woman was all but quivering as she stopped, barely a foot away from her.

"Very good." Setsuna murmured softly. She reached out and stroked her hand down Yoko's cheek again, causing her to lean into the touch as she did before. "Now turn around."

Yoko tensed at the command, her eyes darting around erratically. She knew what she was being told to do, and was nervous. Perhaps rightfully so. Setsuna watched the other woman hesitant, her eyebrow arching high into her bangs as if so say ' _No? Are you certain that is wise?'_

Apparently, the bound woman thought better of her refusal, and slowly turned around, showing her back to the other. Setsuna seemed pleased, and ran her hand down Yoko's arm leisurely, taking her time touching the soft material of her dress. She then slipped her hand down to the woman's wrist and tightly wound her fingers around it, twisting her arm around and wrenching it behind her back.

Yoko hissed sharply as her arm was bent at a seemingly agonizing angle, and she dropped to her knees to avoid her arm being bent any further. Sestuna leaned forward and, still gripping the flogger in her hands, bent down to whisper in Yoko's ear.

"I don't remember telling you to kneel." She said, just loudly enough for her audience to hear. She then yanked the kneeling woman back to her feet, arm still locked behind her back. Sestuna then reached around and pulled the handle of the flogger underneath Yoko's chin, lifting her face with a gentle, but firm touch. She leaned forward and brushed her lips across the woman's exposed neck.

I shivered in my seat at the sight.

"Oh… you are feisty tonight." Setsuna murmured as Yoko fidgeted against her hold on her arm. "You have some fight. I will enjoy breaking that from you." She pressed her lips against Yoko's shoulder and firmly pulled her arm around so she turned, and was hovering just over the bed. "I think you will enjoy it, as well." As she spoke those last words, I could have sworn that the woman flicked her eyes up just to seek mine out in the darkness.

I fidgeted in my seat, looking away from the sight of Yoko's lithe form held above the bed by a dominating Setsuna. At my moment Shimako reached out, placing a gentle hand on my knee. It was a reassuring gesture, as if she wanted to say ' _Relax. I won't let anything happen to you.'_

I wanted to believe her. I really did. But every time I tried to tell myself that, I would take in the scene before and think of what I had gotten myself into. The similarities between Setsuna and Yoko and myself and Shimako did not escape me. We looked different, yes. And the situation between us was different. But I could somehow _see_ myself in Yoko's eyes, helpless under Setsuna's – Shimako's – smoldering gaze. I could almost close my eyes and imagine myself, held down by Shimako as she commanded me to kneel, or to do unseemly things to her.

And somehow, deep down, I knew I wanted it.

Oh God… what was happening to me?

0 – 0 – 0

 **End of Part 5**

A/N: A longer chapter than normal, simply because I couldn't find a better place to cut it. Sorry for the sort of cliffhanger (I seem to do that a lot this story), but I know you guys are hooked! :D

Please comment/follow/favorite!

 _***Will work for glomps***_


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. _#Sadface_

A/N: Aaaand here we have part six!

Enjoy.

0 – 0 – 0

 **Gravity**

 **Part 6**

0 – 0 – 0

I don't know how I even managed to sleep that night, let along function adequately enough to pull myself out of bed and make myself presentable for work the next morning. I had two days off a week, with a work day floating between them, so it was always a little jarring to have one day off, then work the next day only to have my second day off right after that. But I got used to it well enough to suffer through it with nothing but a grimace and some makeup.

Of course, normally I wouldn't have gone out with my 'friend' to a BDSM club. Normally, I wouldn't have spent my evening a blushing, stammering, bubbling cauldron of estrogen.

If I dreamed at all during the night, I didn't remember it. All I could remember was tossing and turning, my wayward thoughts drifting back to the feeling of soft cushions under me, the smell of leather and coffee, and the undeniably satisfying scent of pleasure wafting through the air. The oft sound of music, sharp intakes of breath and the low murmur of voices, dripping with feelings and hints that I didn't – had never – had a real name for.

And Shimako was right there next to me through it all, a sphynx-like smile on her lips as she watched me fidget and squirm as Setsuna had her wicked way with Yoko. The entire show had been erotic; a dance that was as much Yoko and Setsuna's as it had been mine and Shimako's. I knew why she had brought me there – she had wanted to see how I would take such a spectacle and gauge my reaction. I knew about such places, of course, but had never gone to one. If I asked Touko, she would have gone with me no questions asked. I couldn't imagine Sachiko going to one, though, even if I asked. She just didn't seem the type; and the fact that Shimako frequented them was as surprising as it was confusing.

She had been right; she wasn't a teenager anymore, there was probably a lot of things I didn't know about her. But I wanted to learn.

After the show had ended I stood on shaky legs and Shimako led me out to her car, her hand on my arm as though both guiding me and laying her claim at the same time in one elegant gesture. It was both sweet and comforting, and set my skin on fire around the entire area she touched, her fingertips burning the fine hairs of my forearm. She opened the passenger side door for me and I barely remembered to mumble a thank you as she smiled and started the car.

The ride was made in silence, either because Shimako wanted what she had shown me to sink in, or the fact that I had no idea what to say. Honestly, what _could_ I have said? Thank you for the night? It was… interesting? How conflicted I had been; wanting both to run away and wind my head back on straight while at the same time wanting to stay and watch, knowing how horribly turned on I had been the entire time?

It was equal parts maddening and embarrassing, so I kept my mouth shut and let Shimako take me home, waving off the offer for a light dinner.

We arrived at my apartment and I still hadn't worked up the courage to say anything, simply letting myself be escorted up to the third floor to my door. I fished out my keys from my bag and unlocked the door with shaking hands, cursing slightly when I almost dropped them in the process. When the door finally opened, I would have collapsed in relief if it weren't for the gently touch to my side.

I jumped, whirling around to find Shimako inches away, her large eyes searching my face and arm snaking around my waist. I felt my breath catch in my throat and I trembled there, in her firm grip.

"Um," I muttered, shocked I even managed to her out that much, as dry as my throat suddenly had become.

"When can I see you again?" Shimako asked, her voice barely above a whisper. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as her breath ghosted across my face, and it took almost more willpower than I had to bury my nose in her hair and inhale.

"I, um, t-tomorrow?" I winced, my mind whirling to come up with an excuse to ditch work entirely and stay with Shimako. But, as that would leave Megumi alone all day, I couldn't come up with excuse good enough. Megumi was a good co-worker and friend, but I care about her enough not to throw her under the bus, even for something like this.

Shimako blinked slowly, her head tilting to the side. "You are working." It wasn't a question. Later, I would have to ask how the woman knew my work schedule.

"I have the next day off." I muttered, a not-so-subtle attempt to explain my reasoning. Only after I said so, I realized that I basically had said I would be free to stay together all night.

The corners of Shimako's lips curled up into a smile. "Then I will come and collect you when you are finished. Same place?"

"Yes." I swallowed, allowing myself to shuffle forward, inching closer to her. "I, um… okay."

I froze when she stepped closer to me, closing the distance and brushing her fingers against my cheek. She brought her lips to mine in a kiss – one even softer and sweeter than her last one barely a day ago, and yet someone far more passionate than the one she gave me to ward off my earlier pursuer at the café. I don't know how I managed to stay standing, with my entire body feeling like warm pudding, but somehow I managed to pull it together enough to slip my hand around her waist, prolonging the kiss a few more delirious seconds before she pulled away, a small, secretive smile on her lips.

And then, just like the previous night, she was gone, shutting the door behind her and leaving me fighting to stay afloat in my own head.

 _We will have our dance,_ her smile had said. _And I promise you will enjoy it._

0 – 0 – 0

"What the fuck? Is thing going to be a common occurrence?" Was the first thing Megumi said to me as I walked in the café the next afternoon. In her defense, I didn't look all that much better than the previous days. I had slept a bit worse, and had barely been able to choke down a bagel for breakfast before getting ready for the afternoon, but even I could tell when I was less 'Yumi' than normal. And apparently, so could Megumi.

"Not exactly." I muttered, shucking off my t-shirt only to replace it with a white button-up. As I attacked my hair with a brush in front of the small mirror in my locker, Megumi sidled up to me, her frown doing a one eighty, turning into a smug grin.

"So… did you get lucky last night?"

I blushed, ducking my head as I remembered what I had done – seen – last night. "Not… exactly."

Megumi blinked. "Okay... so, details?"

My lips twisted as I balanced what to tell her and what to omit. "She and I had a talk. About our… thing."

"Okay."

"And things are good now. I think. I mean, she still feels the same way about me that she did before."

Megumi smiled, nodding. "That's good. What about you?"

I returned her smile. "I'm pretty sure I do, too." I said, again, only speaking in half-truths. I knew I did feel the same say about her that much was true. But it wasn't just that; everything about Shimako was what I had remember her for, and more. In just three short days, she had appeared back in my life and torn down all the walls I had built up in her absence to protect myself from the hole she left my with. She had reappeared, all secrete smiles and small touches, setting my blood boiling and my belly a churning mass of hormones and desire.

It was frustrating, how much I was afraid of it, and how much I had welcomed it.

"Wow." My friend breathed, stepping back with wide eyes. "Damn."

My blush grew as I bit my lip. I nodded, "So, yea."

"Are you, um, are you seeing her again?"

"Tonight."

"Fuck." Megumi said, running her hand through her hair. "Okay. Okay, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to start the coffee and then we're going to sit down and make you presentable. Then you're going to work a half-shift. And – no!" She held up a hand up to stall my argument. "Before you say no, I am not giving you a choice. I can see how important this is to you, and you need this. You'll work a half-shift, then go home, rest a little and ready for her." Megumi took a breath and cracked a grin. "You can pay me back by giving me all the details later.

Rolling my eyes and unable to keep the smile from my lips, I laughed. "You really want to hear details? What if… you know… happens?"

The woman had the gall to smirk. "Aside from the fact that you seem to be counting your chickens before they hatch…" She shrugged. "Sex is sex. I may not be gay, but I'm still a girl. I love sexy gossip and sordid details as much as the next one. And I gotta tell you this whole thing with the and her—" She waved her hand in a vague gesture. "It's tasty."

"Whatever." I said, but my blush remained. I shuffled my feet for a few moments before muttering, "A three-quarter shift."

Megimi laughed, saying something about how there wasn't such thing as a three-quarter shift, but agreed, throwing her arm over my shoulders and leading me out into the main room, the smell of coffee and tea already filling my nostrils, even before we even turned on the machine.

0 – 0 – 0

I had promised Megumi that I would leave early and go home to rest – to calm down and do _something_ to occupy my mind until the supposed end of my shift, when Shimako would pick me up. The problem was I had absolutely nothing to do at home. Everything – from the wall clock ticking away the seconds to the kettle boiling on the stove – reminded me of what would 'possibly' be happening that night, and that I has not ready in the slightest. It would have almost been better for me to stay at work just to occupy myself with preparing tea and coffee for hipsters and horny college kids; at least them I knew how to handle.

But Shimako? I had no _idea_ how to handle her.

She was so… _different_ than she was in school. Certain aspects of her were similar, of course. She still had the air about her, that cool, calm and self-assured presence. One that practically screamed 'serenity' at you from all angles, and that she always had an idea, a plan, and a goal in mind.

But where there was once the innocence and wide-eyed vulnerability from her teen years, was now something mature; something dark, sensual and experienced. She had always affected me in ways I could never quite understand when we were younger, her silvery eyes and placid expression filling me with odd thoughts and feelings, building up in me until that day neither she or I could stand it anymore, and finally erupted into a few moments of desperate passion.

I still thought back to that night, even years later. Neither of us really expected it to happen. We had coincidentally met at the same restaurant with our families on the same night, and after the initial awkwardness of meeting each other's parents wore off, we had begged off for a short restroom break.

To this day, I can still remember how I felt, as though it were a particularly vided dream, when Shimako had stepped into my personal space like she had always belonged, winding her arms around me, her fingers threading themselves in my hair as she kissed me. It had been so surprising, her suddenly coming onto me, that it had taken me several seconds of shocked disbelief – and fervent hope – to realize that this was happening, that Shimako had actually kissed me. More than that, she was holding me and sighing my name against the shell of my ear, making my hair stand on end and my toes curl in my shoes.

It didn't take me much longer to respond to her advances, returning her kisses and moving down the slender angle of her jaw with small fluttery kisses nibbles and sucks, delighting in the way she gasped and sighed as I moved. It was all so new, so intense and arousing, that I couldn't help myself from taking everything Shimako had to offer, and giving all I could in return. Gasps and sighs turned into whimpers and mewls, hands wandered and found bare skin, fingers slid along the indentations of our ribs and nails skated across our bellies.

By the time I felt Shimako's hand snake under the waistband of my jeans, I was so worked up I couldn't do anything except undo my belt with trembling hands and fumble with the zipper, throwing my head back as her fingers slipped inside of me with all the experience of another sixteen year old virgin. It should have been uncomfortable, her fingers poking and prodding, curling around inside me not unlike I did occasionally to myself, but with her lips against my ear and her breath ghosting across my skin I hardly cared. My whimpers grew more frequent and intense the closer Shimako brought me to climax, and with a shudder and a whine I came into her hand, my nails digging into her shoulder and waist as I felt myself come undone, dying a little inside only be reborn as a new, different Yumi. One that belonged to Shimako as well as herself.

It was all I could do to collect myself in the girl's arms while still retaining my dignity. But Shimako was there for me, helping me to my feet and washing up alongside me. We returned to our families, but not before sharing a quick, chaste kiss before leaving the bathroom, promising to talk about this – _us_ – when we got to school the next day.

But we never did. Whether it was because she was embarrassed, or I was embarrassed, I was never quite sure. The day passed with neither she nor I approaching the other, unwilling to break the tentative silence that had fallen around us like a shroud. The day ended with me going home, more confused than upset, wondering what kind of relationship the two of us had together.

The days turned into weeks, and months passed with nothing really changing, and eventually I had all but forgotten that moment we shared occurred, if it weren't for the phantom sensations I felt across my lips, the scent of her hair lingering in my nose, her whisper in my ear. It had happened, I knew it had, and so did she if her furtive looks I caught from across the room were of any evidence. But I never really knew _why_ nothing had come from that. Even years later with me waffling around, looking for my lot in life.

And now I knew, from Shimako's own lips, that she had still felt that way about me, and that our mutual attraction hadn't dissipated – if anything, it had grown even stronger in the years since we were children – and she wanted me.

Shimako _wanted_ me. I was not so naïve as to assume what Shimako wanted from me was anything less than platonic. Our history, and our sudden new relationship – odd though it was, now that I considered it – was evidence enough to prove that.

And I wanted her.

 _Oh,_ did I want her.

"Fuck…" I groaned, fisting my hands into my eyes as I sat on my couch. There was no use denying the truth. I was an adult and could admit it, I wanted to have sex with Shimako. I had had sex before, of course, and I wasn't the skittish, unsure girl I used to be. I knew enough to recognize what I was feeling wasn't anything less that sexual attraction.

But still, something about Shimako threw me off; turning me back into the stuttering mess I had been before. She could turn me into a puddle with a single glance, reaching around me with her fingers and unzipping my skin from my body like an overcoat, shedding away all my armor and my smiles that I built up since I found myself alone without her, leaving me with just me and her, nothing between us.

She could disarm me, leave me with no words of defenses whatsoever. Any other time, I would have hated that, I would have fought against it, saying 'No! I can't be left like that anymore. I refuse to be so defenseless again, only to have you leave like before!' But I couldn't – _wouldn't._

The fact that she and I danced around each other as kids was just another complication, one that apparently continued to happen without me realizing it. Shimako had noticed, of course, just as I did. She rarely missed a thing, that girl. The fact that she remembered everything so vividly was just proof of how much she really cared – or at least how much she still did – and simply added to the fact that the two of us, no matter how much time had passed, were drawn to each other like gravity.

And now she was meeting me again. I had seen what she had to offer, and not turned away in disgust. I had heard what she had to say, and not scoffed in indifference. I had touched her, and not been burned by her hand.

I wanted her, still, even after all these years.

Our dance had not finished.

Licking my lips and standing up, I inhaled softly, nodding to myself. "Okay. Okay, Yumi. You got this."

I exhaled in a long breath, and walked into the bedroom with a shaky, nervous smile.

I had another date to prepare for.

Two dates in just as many days, I realized. She was spoiling me.

0 – 0 – 0

 **End of Part 6**

A/N: Woo! Bet you thought I dropped off the face of the Earth, huh? Nooooo not quite :D Just haunting two fandoms now! Just one chapter left~ Look forward to it!

Please comment/follow/favorite!

 *****Will work for glomps*****


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. _#Sadface_

A/N: Aaaand here we get to the climax *pffft haha* of Gravity!

Oh, and Rated 'M' for sexual content.

Enjoy.

0 – 0 – 0

 **Gravity**

 **Part 7**

0 – 0 – 0

I managed to pull myself away from touching up my mascara and eyeliner in the bathroom and make a final decision about my outfit for the evening – a rose colored button-up blouse that was one size too small to accentuate my chest and a pair of fitted jeans with my nicest pair of black ankle boots – with just enough time to meet Shimako for our second date in just as many days.

But not before trying to win a staring contest with the mirror, trying to desperately convince myself that I could, in fact, do this.

After properly psyching myself up and making sure I was attractive enough for my liking, I left my apartment just as the sun was setting. Shimako never said precisely _when_ she would be meeting me, in fact she had been fairly taciturn about time frames and deadlines the past few days, but for some reason I didn't mind. Spending the majority of my formative years with Sachiko and Touko as Soeurs should have given me a stricter outlook on punctuality, but I had always been something of a free spirit compared to them.

Maybe that was partially why I was in my current 'funk'.

Anyway, I felt secure enough in how Shimako thought to more or less know when she would pick me up. And sure enough, as I found myself approaching my café just as the streetlights flickered on, I spotted Shimako several meters away from me, leaning casually against her car, her typical placid expression firmly in place. I felt my heart speed up a bit as I took the final few steps up to her, and my breath caught in my through as her gray eyes slid upwards to meet mine.

"H-hi." I said softly in greeting.

"Hello." Shimako replied, her voice equally as soft. "You look nice."

I blushed slightly at the praise, "Thanks. You, um, you look really pretty."

Shimako smiled, brushing her hand against her dark blue turtleneck. She too wore jeans – to my pleasant surprise – and looked really great in the open-toed heels that completed her outfit. Her hair was loose as always, and I even saw the tell-tale glint of silver from the earrings she wore. All in all she looked pretty, I didn't lie, but I suddenly wished I had been brave enough to say that she looked _gorgeous_.

I might have been a free spirit, but I was also not the bravest girl around.

"Thank you. I must admit I wasn't quite sure what to wear in the end. I ended up going for casual. I'm happy you did, as well."

I chuckled, "I was standing in front of the closet for the longest time, trying to decide what to wear."

Shimako gave me an indulgent smile, and then opened the door to her car, gesturing me inside. "Shall we?" I nodded and the two of us slid into the car, beginning our night.

The entire date seemed to fly by. It wasn't as though I wasn't having fun – I was; Shimako was kind, generous and even more intelligent as she had been in school. In fact, with her experiences abroad and living as I had these past few years, even without a college experience like I has, her knowledge was a lot broader than mine was. She knew so much about so many different things, I could have easily sat there and listened to her talk about the culture of native Korean cities as opposed to Japan all night long. She even spoke to me – at my insistence – in a smattering of Mandarin and Vietnamese, which she had picked up through necessity during her stay there and seemed stick.

Although, according to her, her accent was atrocious. I somehow doubted that.

We ate dinner together at a local classical Japanese restaurant; not too expensive and not too cheap, just how I liked it, and ordered a variety of sushi and vegetarian dishes. We talked about different topics such as our families and what they have done since the last time we saw them. Shimako's father was still head of his temple and doing well. Although, he did wish Shimako would make up her mind about what she wanted to do with her life.

I could relate. My own relationship with my family and Soeurs were similar, although they were more polite about it – Sachiko respected my decisions and Touko was too busy to really express her opinion in any meaningful way. But still, I did wish that sometimes my parents and brother would lighten up with the odd comment about why I haven't 'settled down' yet.

Our conversation was light and friendly, but like a door that refused to stay shut, or a window that was left open the barest crack for wind to slip through, the romantic undercurrent between the two of us was far too obvious to leave alone for long. Our flirting was subtle, at first; a coy glance coupled with an offhand compliment, a small touch of the hand with a finger lingering on each other's palm, burning a trail across skin and making my heart skip several beats. Soon I was unable to do anything but focus on Shimako, my eyes tracking her every single movement, every twitch of her lips and every flash of her teeth, as if trying to commit her entire presence to memory.

But, despite the fact that we were openly flirting with each other, we never quite got back to the elephant in the room. I wanted to know why she took me to the club the previous evening. I had my suspicions, of course, and I was pretty sure I was right. But I wanted to hear it from her; only then could I be sure with what I wanted, and what I assumed Shimako wanted. I wanted to bring it up, but never found the best time to.

Dinner finished and we split the check, leaving the restaurant. I shivered slightly as I stepped outside, wishing I had thought to bring a sweater as Shimako had. She must have noticed my sudden chill, because Shimako stepped beside me and wrapped an arm loosely, but possessively around my waist.

I smiled up at her, "Thanks," even as my skin warmed with her proximity.

"Of course." She squeezed her arm around me.

"What's next?" I asked, curiosity winning out over my inability to sound too eager for anything Shimako had planned.

She peered at me for a moment in thought, her lips quirking up slightly. "I thought I could treat you to tea at my apartment." She paused, gauging my reaction. "If that sounds agreeable to you."

If I hadn't been fully aware of both of our backgrounds with the Yamayurikai and how we treated almost every afternoon as an informal 'tea party', I would have almost expected her offer to be a euphemism for something else; something much less tea-related. But coming from Shimako, I could almost believe she sincerely wanted to drink tea with me. Even though, somewhere deep inside me, the part of me that had been steadily growing warmer and warmer with each passing minute of flirting and furtive touches during dinner, desperately hoped Shimako didn't truly mean for us to drink tea together. I would have been very disappointed if that was the case.

Spurred on by the hope and arousal in my belly at the ideas flitting through my mind like an excited child with a new toy, I smiled and nodded, "That sounds lovely." Shimako's eyes flashed with something I couldn't quite pick up on, and led the way back to her car.

The drive to her apartment wasn't very long, and was filled with silence. I couldn't think of anything meaningful to talk about, and Shimako seemed perfectly happy to allow me to look out the window in thought. We pass buildings and pedestrians on their way home, and I recognized the area as one of the middle-class residential and commercial areas in the city as she pulled to a stop just outside of a multi-level apartment complex. She was, surprisingly, on the third floor as well, and we forgoed using the elevator, instead using the stairs. After a short climb and an even shorter trip down a hallway we stopped in front of a doorway, which Shimako produced a key for and unlocked, stepping aside as she opened to door to allow me entry.

Shimako's apartment, on the whole, was very similar to mine. Her kitchen was open to the main room, and had a small dining table separating the two areas. She had a couch and television mounted on the wall, a dark, coffee-colored table between the couch and television, and another doorway leading to what I assumed was another part of the apartment.

I jumped slightly as I felt Shimako's hand on my arm, and I whirled around to find her typical placid expression regard me curiously, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Do you still take Jasmine with milk and three sugars?" She asked simply.

Smiling bashfully, I nodded. "Just two sugars, please." And Shimako went to work, gesturing for me to take a seat wherever I would like. I chose to sit at her dining table, and watched her gather the teabags – not tea leaves, surprisingly – and mugs. I watched as she boiled the water and pour it into the cups, dropping a few spoons of sugar into the tea and giving them a stir. Her work done, Shimako placed a cup in front of me and then sat down on the opposite side, her own cut of tea in hand.

"So, um…" I muttered softly, fingering my cup of tea nervously. It suddenly occurred to me that I was alone with Shimako, in her apartment, drinking tea like normal people. Only, I knew this wasn't normal. Somehow, I knew was this really was. This was just another part of our dance – one that Shimako wanted to see how I would respond to her lead – and the sheer idea that I was playing right into the woman's hands, and her gray eyes, glimmering with amused intent, only served to arouse me even further.

"What are you thinking about, Yumi?" Shimako asked quietly, taking a slow, measured sip from her tea.

"N-nothing." I managed, fidgeting slightly under her stare. I was barely able to keep my voice from raising a few octaves.

The amused look that flashed across Shimako's face told me that she called my bluff, but didn't comment on it. "I see," She instead murmured. "In that case, would you like to know what I am thinking about?"

I nodded, unable to tear my gaze away from her lips as she took another sip from her teacup.

"I am thinking…" Shimako said, carefully setting down her cup and folding her hands together, her eyes never leaving mine. "About how you thought about where I took you last night."

 _Shit_. Of course she wanted to know about that. Why else would she have wanted to bring me there? It was obvious she wanted to tell me something, and see how I would react. And now that I had, she wanted hear it from my own mouth if I liked it or not. And likewise, I also wanted to know a few things…

"Why _did_ you take me to that place?" I deflected the question with one of my own, also setting down my untouched tea.

Her eyes lit up and her smile grew. "You enjoyed it, then?"

Well, it wasn't like I could deny it. I would be lying if I told her I disliked it. And she could probably already read me like a book at this point, anyway… "Yes, I enjoyed it. Can you answer the question?"

She raised an eyebrow at my short tone. "I took you there to see what you would do."

Well, that was pretty much what I thought. I licked my lips slowly. "Okay… And what did you learn?"

"I learned that you were skittish at first, and taken aback that I would visit such a place. But after getting acclimatized you grew less nervous."

I nodded, "Pretty much. I mean, it's not every day you find out that your ex is into BDSM clubs."

Shimako's other eyebrow rose to join its twin. "Your ex?" She echoed, and then chuckled softly. "Yes, I suppose I could count as such. Anyway, there isn't much to tell about that. It grew from a mild interest when I was exploring my sexuality a few years ago, and one visit turned into two, and so on."

"Do you, um, 'perform' there?" I asked, unable to stop myself.

"Occasionally." Came the simple reply.

"Oh."

"I don't very often though, only when their regular employees are sick or busy." Shimako explained, watching me carefully.

"Do you… uh… have you ever…?" I was unable to finish my question; shame being the main reason why I couldn't voice the words. Luckily, Shimako seemed to pick up on it and answered anyway.

"No. I haven't had sex while on the job. A few of the performers don't mind it… but I always thought of it as an interest and a job; nothing more." She chewed her lip, for the first time seemed unsure of herself. "However, since it is such a large part of my life now, I felt it necessary to show you before…"

I blinked, a slight flutter in my chest making itself known. "Before… what?"

Shimako looked away, her face flickering between different emotions, like she couldn't decide which one to settle on. Eventually, she looked back at me, embarrassment dusting at her cheeks. "Before I make a fool of myself."

I couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped my lips at that. "You? Make a fool of yourself? I doubt anything you do can possibly make you seem bad. You are most collected, self-assured, mature person I know." I paused. "Well, except for Sachiko or Touko… but they are special cases. Anyway," I shook my head. "The point is, I seriously doubt you could do anything to make a fool out of yourself."

The smoldering look that Shimako stared me down with at that moment made my smile die and legs cross. The dark steel in her eyes, instead of the bright silver I was used to, made my thighs clench and the heat in my center climb a few degrees higher.

"Even if what I really wanted was to pull you into the middle of that room last night and have you, right there on that bed?"

I blinked once, twice, a third time, before her words finally worked their way through my brain. Once they did I swallowed, my throat suddenly bone dry. "Oh…" I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper. My mind worked rapidly to form some kind of response – _any_ kind of response – to her declaration. When I finally did, it wasn't quite what I expected to say. "But… you didn't."

The steel in Shimako's eyes lightened only slightly, and the very corners of her lips quirked up in amusement. "No, I did not." She leaned forward the tiniest amount, and something possessive replaced the amusement. "There were too many other people. And I want you all to myself."

My stomach fluttered and my cheeks warmed. My thoughts cycled through a rapid trailer of passion; wandering hands, rough motions, deep kissing, moans and gasps in my ear, panting breath… I clenched my fist in a sudden effort to ground myself in reality, insane though it seemed at the moment. What was I doing, just sitting here? And perhaps more importantly, what was _she_ doing just sitting there?

And then a voice whispered in my ear, ' _to see what I would do._ '

It was all so glaringly obvious I wanted to slap myself. All this time she had been testing me, seeing to what extent I would follow her lead, how deep my understanding was and how I would react to surprising – if not shocking – revelations. This was all part of our dance, damn it! How had it taken me this long to figure out! I looked at Shimako, studying her eyes for a long moment, noticing the serene, yet somehow possessive and slightly predatory gleam behind them. There was a lot more to this woman, I knew, than the outwardly placid and easy-going attitude she showed everyone; a depth that few would see, or even notice… let alone truly understand. She felt I was worth the risk of revealing this side of herself to. She wanted me to dance for her…

I almost laughed; what I marvelous way to word that understatement. _Dance_.

Well then, I'd better make it a good show.

Slowly, deliberately, I allowed a small smirk to flicker at the corners of my lips as I gestured around her apartment. "Well, you have me all to yourself now." I stood up from my chair and titled my head to peer down at the still-seated Shimako from behind my bangs. "You might even say… I'm here to dance for you."

Shimako paused, watching my carefully.

Encouraged, I took another step closer with careful slowness. I could almost feel her muscles coil beneath her skin as she watched me draw near; and it thrilled me. Her eyes darkened, her face going blank with focus as I closed the distance between us and stared down at her mere inches away. I grinned widely, exalting in the idea of our positions reversed – usually it had been her teasing me like this – and teasingly slow I tilted my head down towards hers, my lips hovering just out of reach of her jaw. Only my hot breath touched her, and she tensed up even more.

"What are you thinking now, Shimako?" I whispered into her ear.

"The same thing you are, Yumi." Her voice was low, husky, and purred so deliciously that it sent a wave of heat between my legs.

I inhaled shakily, and nearly gasped aloud when her hand snaked around my waist. I looked into her eyes and quietly murmured, "Tell me what I'm thinking—"

Before I could even finished my thought I was pushed back, Shimako rising to her feet with shocking agility, and I found myself shoved up against the wall of her apartment. Shimako's warm body was pressed into me and her lips captured mine in a kiss so needy and urgent, I nearly died on the spot.

 _Here lies Yumi Fukuzawa. Kissed to death. It was a good death._

Liquid fire flooded into my veins and I moaned when I tongues met; I reached up to tangle my fingers in her long, smooth hair. My other hand wrapped around her back, clutching her to me while she moved against me in a smooth motion that made my pulse quicken. _Fuck… yes..._ She pulled away from the kiss long enough to pinch my bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling softly in contrast to the hand that wrenched my arm above my head and held it there.

I gasped, writhing against the wall as her other hand slipped between my legs and pressed against me through the jeans I suddenly wished I wasn't wearing at that moment. I groaned, arching my back and trying to pull her head closer so our lips could touch again; but she resolutely remained just a hair's width away, smirking softly.

"Right now you are thinking about how much you want to wipe my smile off of my face." Shimako murmured, rubbing he hand against the junction of my legs in long, slow, powerful stroked that were more than welcomed.

I hissed at her in frustration, and her eyes sparkled.

"That is a dangerous sound, Yumi," She leaned in, lowering her head to graze her teeth down my neck, grinding her hips against me. "I like it…"

Her tone made me wetter than I already was, and with a frustrated groan I shoved her back as hard as I could. She stumbled backwards a step, her eyes flashing in challenge; but it was all I needed. I tackled her into the couch nearby, immediately straddling her lap. My hands slipped around the back of her neck and I kissed her deeply, drinking her taste and her smell. She moaned so quietly I barely heard her, but it was enough to cause goosebumps to prickle across my flesh.

Her hands slipped beneath the edge of my blouse and up my back, caressing me, pressing me against her. I ground down into her lap, hungry for more contact. Suddenly she raked her nails down by spine and I shuddered as a strangled sound escaped my throat at the sensation. She broke from the kiss and yanked the blouse over my head in a few quick jerks of her wrists; it fluttered behind the couch to the floor.

I shivered slightly at the cool air on my naked skin. When her warm hands moved across my abdomen I squirmed, my eyes lifting to watch her. Her eyes ran over my skin in a way that made my heart hammer in anticipation. Her fingertips brushed between my breasts, lingering on the soft swells hidden behind the cream-colored material of my bra. They continued upward, tracing my collarbone lightly before moving onto my shoulder and down my arm. The softness of her touch was like fire and it burned; I bit my lip, grinding my hips against her.

Her hand encircled my wrist and a sudden jerk shot through my arm, and quicker than I ever thought possible, I was on my back, lying lengthwise across the couch with Shimako lying on top of me. I writhed, groaning as she pinned both of my wrists above my head with one hand; her other hand cupped my breast as her lips met mine once more.

I'd never been kissed the way Shimako kissed me; not by anyone I met since her, and not even by Shimako herself as a teenager. It was like I could feel her slip beneath my skin and pump through my veins like a drug that took me somewhere new, somewhere exotic and exciting. Her scent filled my lungs; vanilla, warmth and something wholly familiar that was Shimako. She felt so _fucking_ good I could barely stand it. I moved my hips against her in a long, sensual motion that left nothing to the imagination; I needed her inside me, right then and there.

I felt her smile against my lips, and I stilled as she pulled away to look down at me. I squirmed again, tugging at my pinned wrists. Her smile only grew, her index finger flicking up to hover over the hollow of my throat before slowly, agonizingly, making its way down my flesh. I inhaled as she moved over the clenching muscles of my abdomen, involuntarily arching my back into the contact. _Lower… go lower…_ my mind begged. I bucked my hips up into hers and her hand stopped moving just above the hem of my jeans.

I hissed again, jerking my arms in frustration. She – she was teasing me! Hadn't she had enough of teasing me these past few days!

"Tell me what you want, Yumi." Shimako whispered, her voice so low and husky I could have bathed myself in it.

A small sound of desperation escaped my lips and I canted my hips up into hers again – harder, urgently.

"Tell me, Yumi." She repeated, her fingertips tracing just above the waistband of my jeans. The was no demand in her tone, nor was there any anger; just simple patience and calmness that was wholly Shimako. Before, it was endearing and grounding. Now, filled with implications of the situation we found ourselves in, it made my blood boil and my mind race as I realized just how long Shimako could stretch this on for.

"You know what I want," I panted, my tongue flicking out to whet my suddenly dry lips. Shimako tilted her head slightly to the side, her eyes sharp with curiosity and intelligence. "I want you," I grunted, moving my hips against her hand, craning my neck and wishing she was closer. "I want you inside me. Rough. Fast. Right now."

Shimako's eyes flashed a bright, pleased silver before that decidedly predatory expression surged to the surface. She released my wrists and pulled my forward long enough to unsnap my bra and toss it away before shoving me back down on the couch. She unbuttoned my jeans and suddenly, in a matter of breathless seconds, I was completely naked. The fabric of the couch was slightly cool to my heated skin, and I inhaled sharply when Shimako lay back on top of me, wrapping her hand around the back of my neck, and pressed her lips against mine. I then felt her fingertips brush against the wetness between my legs and I jerked, writing and squirming frantically against her.

She thrust two fingers deep inside me, and I moaned loudly into her. She consumed everything eagerly, starting a rhythm of thrusts while her thumb pressed and rubbed against my already sodden folds. I clutched at her, digging my fingers into her back, meeting her thrusts with my own. I broke away from our kiss, gasping for breath as my head tilted back. Just when I'd caught my breath, her thrusting grew harder, faster, deeper. I raked my nailed down her back, clawing at the sweater she wore as her fingers caressed and curved in all the right places inside me. _Fuck…_

Her lips moved down to my neck and then my shoulder, all teeth and tongue, sending a multitude of sensations through my body, adding to my already painfully aroused state. I gasped when her teeth clamped down on my shoulder in a gentle bite. I knew she could feel there was more potential in that, but she moved on in search of other places to explore.

A single rough thrust changed in her rhythm and I arched my back, moaning through my shallow pants and choked breaths.

Her lips toyed with my earlobes, sending puffs of hot air across the mouth flesh that drove me absolutely insane with desire. I could feel my climax already building inside me, clawing its way through my skin like a living thing, hissing and spitting, aching to be released. A sheen of sweat coated my skin, my motions grew less controlled and more desperate as Shimako's fingers and lips drove me closer to orgasm than I ever thought was possible before.

"You're so close…" Shimako purred into me ear.

I groaned, sliding my hands down to cup Shimako's rear, grinding her against me harder. She tangled her fingers in my hair, nuzzled my cheek, and curved her fingers inside my just so… I suddenly gasped, my breaths coming in rapid succession, erratic pants as my orgasm loomed ever closer. I was so close… _so close… Only a few more, Shimako…_

Just then, her fingers withdrew from inside me and Shimako stilled, her eyes watching me like a hawk watches its unknowing prey.

A sounds I'd never heard – or thought possible – crawled out from my chest in a deep snarl; my lips peeled back from my teeth and my eyes narrowed to slits, the sound vibrating through my entire being in denial from the release it so desperately craved. I heaved an angry hiss at the woman above me, her tight grip in my hair keeping me millimeters away.

And then her lips curled back up into the most pleased smile I had never seen from her yet, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you…" She murmured.

She thrust her fingers back into me so hard and fast my gasp locked in my throat. I shuddered, my motions frenzied and unfocused as I bucked my hips into her, against her fingers that she so perfectly led me with in our dance. My vision blurred and my lips parted as I let out a high pitched whine.

As the sound slipped from my lips, Shimako pulled my head to the side and deftly sunk her teeth into my shoulder.

A cry tore from my lips at the sensation of her bite and I arched my back sharply into Shimako. I clawed at her, the material of the couch, anything I could reach as wave after wave of rapture pulsed through my body as I came. My limbs twitched, my body convulsed, my muscles screaming as release took me. I tasked blood in my mouth but I couldn't care why. I was out of my mind with the feeling of orgasm and all I could do was revel in the way my body responded to the way the Shimako… that Shimako…

Slowly, she released her teeth from my shoulder, licking and sucking and nibbling her way to the shell of my ear. "You feel so good, Yumi…"

A soft sob of bliss tumbled from my lips and I weakly wrapped my arms around her, clutching her to me as tightly as I could manage. Her thrusting continued riding out the orgasm she'd pulled from me all-too willingly, and I lay there, trembling, taking deep, shuddering breaths that just couldn't seem to take in enough air.

Gradually her thrusting slowed, and then ceased, and she pulled out of me, rolling to her side. I buried my face in the crook of her neck, twitching and shuddering softly as every little touch.

"Shh…" She soothed me gently. She caressed the curve of my spine as I finished catching my breath and my mind caught up to me.

"Holy… shit." I muttered, inhaling her scent. I couldn't remember ever – _ever_ – having an orgasm like that before. In fact, at that moment with Shimako's arms around me, I couldn't really remember much of anything. I was mush, a puddle of estrogen, and it was with great reluctance that I was pulled back from bliss and looked up into the woman's eyes.

She smiled softly and bent down to kiss me, her tongue flicking out to sweep the blood on my lip away. Apparently I'd bitten it, but I couldn't remember when.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, laying in each other's arms. I just remember listening to the steady beat of Shimako's heard with my ear against her sweater. It was comforting, grounding, and proof that I hadn't died yet. After a while my breathing had finally returned to normal and I sighed softly, content. And then I looked up to catch Shimako's eyes and I felt my heart skip a beat.

I had every reason to be wary of the smile on her lips. She must had noticed my questioning expression because her eyes darkened slightly.

"You're not quite finished, yet." She murmured.

I swallowed, blinking at her.

"I gave you what you wanted," Shimako said, her tone almost conversational as she unwound herself from me and stood. "And now it's your turn to give me what _I_ want."

My lips curled into a smirk and my eyes ran down her form slowly, more than happy to give the woman what she wanted. I pushed myself up on my elbows, my eyes never leaving hers. "And what is it that you want, Shimako?"

Her eyes flicked towards the doorway across the room. I assumed it was her bedroom, and a shiver ran down my spine. It had very little to do with the cold. She silently extended a hand to me and I took it. She smiled, pleased, and pulled me to my feet, leading me into the depths of her home.

My senses were already on overdrive, and I picked up on everything; the touch of her hand on my skin, the scent of her home and my lingering arousal on her fingers, the sound of our footfalls on the carpeted floor. The ground was cool beneath my bare feet as she led me towards the door, and my suspicions were confirmed when she flicked on the light – it was indeed her bedroom. A large, queen sized bed took up the bulk of the space, along with a desk and dressers here and there, and a walk-in closet in the corner along with another door to what I assumed was a bathroom. All in all it was a normal, everyday room. Quite different than what I expected considering…

Shimako must have read my perplexed expression, because she chuckled dryly. "I keep my personal life and work separate, Yumi."

I felt my cheeks color. "Sorry… I just assumed…" Desperate for anything to add, I cleared my throat. "It's a nice bed, though."

"You think so?" She murmured, walking me over and trialing her fingertips along the grey and white comforter before suddenly pulling it back with a quick jerk.

"I think its missing something…" She said slowly, significantly, as she peered at me from the corner of her eye. She tugged me slightly towards it, and released my hand, gesturing faintly towards the bed.

 _Oh… naturally she wants me on it._ I slowly sat down on the soft, cottony sheets, feeling my arousal begin to stir once again. I watched Shimako as she prowled around the bed to her dresser. She stepped out of her heels and began to slowly pull her sweater over her head. I shifted on the bed as her skin became visible, the indention of her ribs barely able to be seen as she finished pulling off her sweater and dropping it in a used clothes bin beside her dresser. She flicked her eyes to me, smiling slightly as she unbuttoned her jeans, shimmying out of them with tantalizing, mouthwatering slowness. Finally, her bra was discarded and she stepped out of her panties, leaving her gloriously naked and completely unashamed.

I blushed heavily, my eyes unable to look away from the gorgeous creature standing before me. Next to her I must have looked pretty poor in comparison; gangly limbs and pale complexion, I didn't work out as often as I should have, but at least I had the foresight to properly groom myself, I thought, as my eyes raked over her honey-colored curls at the apex of her legs. My tongue fluttered out to sweep across my lips as Shimako pulled out her earrings – almost as an afterthought – and then reached into a dresser drawer to pull out, surprisingly, a length of silky-looking fabric.

My hearth leapt into my throat as I realized what the fabric was, and as she turned towards me I shifted backwards reflexively until I hit the headboard. Somewhere, deep down inside me, I knew exactly what it was that Shimako wanted.

 _Oh… oh God and Maria-sama…_

A flash of amusement trickled into Shimako's steely eyes as I stared at her, my heart hammering in my chest with renewed vigor. "What are you thinking, Yumi?"

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry and my limbs tingling. My thoughts flickered back to the previous night, with Setsuna and Yoko, and how the two of them interacted with each other, and how it seemed like Shimako and I so similar to them, and yet so different.

"I… I thought you kept your professional and private life separate." I breathed, unable to break my gaze away from the length of fabric, and the woman holding it like a treasured gift in her hand.

"Oh, every now and again there is room for a little of both. Especially when there are special circumstances." She looked squarely at me, her gaze unblinking. "And I would consider this a most special circumstance, indeed, Yumi. Wouldn't you?"

I slowly nodded, the feeling coming back into my body one piece at a time. This was a special circumstance, indeed. The two of us, coming together again for the first time in years; continuing the dance that we started, but never was able to finish. Perhaps it was fitting in a way that our dance would conclude like this. After all, it began with the two of us, fresh-faced and eager, dressed each day in our Lillian uniforms and peering at each other with furtive, embarrassed glances when we thought the other wasn't looking. Why not now, years later, shouldn't we reach the climax of our dance with some semblance of how it started?

After all, it was what made us into who we were.

Slowly, deliberately, I lifted my arms out towards Shimako; or, namely, the fabric in her hands. "Okay," I murmured demurely.

Her eyes sparkled, her lips stretched into a wide smile, and her hands deftly wound the old, but somehow still silky smooth Lillian Academy scarf around my wrists.

"Dance for me, Yumi."

0 – 0 – 0

 **End of Part 7**

A/N: So… it turns out there will be one more chapter/epilogue. The smut kinda stretched out longer than I thought it would, but I don't think anybody really minds.

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 *****Will work for glomps*****


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